[Comparison of counselling statistics of the Single Points of Contact for Employers (EAA) across the German federal states].

Abstract

Purpose: In 2022, lawmakers established the Single Points of Contact for Employers (§185a SGB IX) across Germany with the aim of improving opportunities for people with disabilities to particpate in the labor market. The EAA are intended to inform, advise, and support employers on issues related to disability and work. The EAA's funding and employment structures differ considerably between the federal states. The aim of this article was to compare the EAA's counseling figures across the various federal states and to identify opportunities for further developing the EAA's case data documentation.

Methods: Methodologically, the study followed a multi-method design combining descriptive analyses of state-level EAA case data for the 2024 reporting period with guided expert interviews. In addition, the findings were discussed with EAA experts in a participatory dialogues.

Results: The results showed substantial differences between the federal states in terms of documented contact occasions. These differences can be attributed to variyng interpretation of key terms and documentation practices, different employment situations and prior structures as well as heterogeneous provider structures.

Conlusion: The EAA case documentation offers opportunities for a targeted management of this new labor market policy instrument. Documentation should be further standardized across federal states in order to enhance comparability. Nevertheless, each federal state should formulate individual (sub)goals, taking into account its own conditions and specificities.