Database of labour market practices
This database gathers practices in the field of employment submitted by European countries for the purposes of mutual learning. These practices have proven to be successful in the country concerned, according to its national administration. The European Commission does not have a position on the policies or measures mentioned in the database.
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Original Title: | Zákon 112/2018 Z.z. o sociálnej ekonomike a sociálnych podnikoch |
Country: | Slovakia |
Responsible body: | The Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic |
Name(s) of other organisations involved (partners / sub-contractors): | Department of social economy and social entrepreneurship set up by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic |
Start Year of implementation: | 2018 |
End Year of implementation: | Ongoing |
EU policy relevance: | Concerning the European Employment Strategy, the policy is highly relevant to Guideline 6 (Enhanced labour and skills supply) and Guideline 8 (Fairness, combating poverty and promoting equal opportunities for all) of the EEA Employment Guidelines. It is expected that social enterprises, registered according to the Act 112/2018 on Social economy and social enterprises, will offer quality job opportunities for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, with the main focus on long-term unemployed, youth, ethnic minorities or people with disability. Along with employment, social enterprises may provide their disadvantaged employees with training opportunities, increasing their chances on the open labour market. The definition of disadvantaged groups is anchored in the Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty. Together with the high level of long-term unemployment, the measure addresses also the high level of regional disparities which is characteristic for Slovakia and offers affirmative measures for job creation in the lagging regions. |
National labour market context: | Slovakia has one of the highest long-term unemployment rates amongst the EU-28 and OECD countries despite also having historically low levels of registered unemployment (5.04% as of 31 December 2018). Long-term unemployment is particularly prevalent among the most vulnerable groups e.g. people from marginalised Roma communities and people with disabilities, a large proportion of which are not even registered as jobseekers. |
Policy area: | Job creation, Labour market participation, Prevention of poverty through inclusive labour markets, Skills supply, productivity and lifelong learning |
Specific policy or labour market problem being addressed: | The Act 112/2018 aimed to secure a basis for social enterprises in the wider area of social economy, with the social enterprise focusing on achieving “a positive social impact”. Social economy is defined in the Act as “the summary of productive, distributive or consumer activities carried out by means of economic activity, or non-economic activities independently from public authorities, whose main aim is to achieve a positive social impact” (after the Host country paper). The Act extends the focus of social enterprise activities to include not only social enterprises for labour market integration but other specialisations as long as they contribute to the achievement of measurably positive social effects. It changed the provision of employment support. In comparison to active labour market policies which traditionally target people registered as jobseekers (with particular attention to those who remain registered long-term), the new Act defines disadvantaged people as those who have not been employed over the past six months and belong to minority groups defined based on characteristics such as age, level of education, duration of registration in the labour office register, social situation, national or ethnic minority background, the aera of residence. This change in focus creates opportunities for registered social enterprises to work with disadvantaged people not registered as jobseekers at the labour office even though they remain unemployed, e.g. homeless people and people from marginalised Roma communities. |
Aims and objectives of the policy or measure: |
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Main activities / actions underpinning the policy or measure: |
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Geographical scope of policy or measure: | National |
Target groups: | Entrepreneurs and start-ups, Long-term unemployed (more than 12 months), Low-skilled people, Minority ethnic groups, People not in education, employment or training (NEETs), Older workers and unemployed (aged 50 to 64 years), Small and medium-sized enterprises (1 - 249 employees), Young people (aged 16 to 25 years) |
Outputs and outcomes of the policy or measure: | Outputs
Outcomes
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