Active inclusion
Definition
Active inclusion means enabling every citizen, notably the most disadvantaged, to fully participate in society, including having a job.
In practical terms, that means:
- adequate income support together with help to get a job. This could be by linking out-of-work and in-work benefits, and by helping people to access the benefits they are entitled to
- inclusive labour markets – making it easier for people to join the work force, tackling in-work poverty, avoiding poverty traps and disincentives to work
- access to quality services helping people participate actively in society, including getting back to work.
Challenges
Active inclusion is intended to tackle various challenges:
- Poverty
- Social exclusion
- In-work poverty
- Labour market segmentation
- Long-term unemployment
- Gender inequalities
Policy response
The Social Investment Package (SIP) stresses the importance of activating and enabling services:
- Job training and search assistance
- Access to basic bank accounts
- Energy inclusion
- Adequate income support (based on reference budgets where appropriate)
The Social Investment Package underlines the importance of reducing administrative burdens and simplifying the benefit systems through mechanisms such as "one-stop shops".
Individual contracts between service providers and participants, setting out their rights and obligations, empower the individual and contribute to developing human capital.
Background
- 2008 Recommendation on the active inclusion of people excluded from the labour market
- The European Social Fund provides support for implementing active inclusion strategies to tackle poverty and social exclusion at national level.