1. REPORTING ON ESF INTERVENTIONS IN THE EU REPORTING ON ESF ACHIEVEMENTS
EC CONTRACT VC / 2007 / 0555
REPORTING ON ESF INTERVENTIONS IN THE EU REPORTING ON ESF ACHIEVEMENTS
ESF Technical Working Group
Brussels, 19 January 2010
Dominique Danau, Livia Di Nardo & Georgios Voudouris

2. Reporting ESF interventions in the EU
Scope
Description of what ESF does and achieves on different policy topics and target groups
Information based on existing sources, demonstrated through data and illustrated by concrete examples
Studies aiming at communication of interventions and achievements, not evaluation
Main deliverables
21 thematic studies: background report & summary fiche
Translation of summary fiches
Lay-out and printing of documents

3. Deliverables Background reports
emphasis on (comparable) quantitative data
qualitative information on interventions/case studies
on average 100 pages, available in English
addressing knowledgeable stakeholders

4. Deliverables Summary fiches
informative presentation of subject in plain language
most compelling data, tables and graphs
16 page brochure in EN, FR, DE, ES, IT and PL
addressing interested audience (s)

5. Research Approach Definition of theme
Based on standardised definitions by EU and other key players
Taking into account how the theme is covered by ESF
Broken down in important topics (“key concepts”)
Identification of measures / priority axes
Screening measures/priorities that address the theme
Allocating measures/priorities to one (or more) key concept(s)
Data collection and analysis
Bringing together all data/indicators related to selected measures
Analysing data for all measures and per key concept

6. Research Approach (II)
Original data set (one spreadsheet per OP)
Indicators are extracted from ESF reports
Indicators are translated and standardised, but not manipulated (“processed”)
Standardised list of indicators
Agreed with EC and based on “annex 23”
Processed data set
Starting from original data set, indicators are aggregated, extrapolated or transformed when needed
Forms the basis for all theme-related research
Rules for data manipulation (extrapolation, aggregation, transformation) have been agreed with the EC

7. Research Approach (III)
Consistency of data handling is assured through:
Guidelines for indicator collection
List of standardised indicator names
Internal review process and research log
Transformation of all individual data sets prepared in Excel into one big Access file
Examples of data manipulation
Aggregation
Extrapolation
Transformation

8. Overall Findings ESF
Research is based on data collected for 1,557 measures relating to 207 OPs in 25 Member States
1,234 measures have reported over 75m participants / participations
All OPs together have spent a total of € 105bn, of which € 54bn was claimed from ESF
37% of all participations were between 16 and 25 years old
7% was over 55 years old
ESF reached about 900,000 people with disabilities
Almost 3m participants gained a qualification through ESF
2.5m people were integrated in the labour market

9. Overall Findings ESF
Figure 7: Gender breakdown of ESF participations

10. Overall Findings ESF
Figure 8: Status of ESF participations in the labour market

11. Overall Findings ESF
Figure: Average yearly participation per Member State

12. Overall Findings ESF
Figure: Total ESF budget by Member State: proportion between ESF and Member State funds

13. Thematic Studies Studies (almost) finalised
Active Labour Market Policies and Public Employment Services
Adaptability of Enterprises and Continuing Training of Workers
Human Potential in Research and Innovation
Labour Mobility
Education and Lifelong Learning
Women, Gender Mainstreaming and Conciliation of work and private life
Measures used at least once up to now:
1311 out of 1557 (84%)
This figure includes data for ongoing studies on Roma, Migrants & Minorities, and Health and Long-Term Care
Remaining measures may be allocated to studies on e.g. Social Inclusion, Entrepreneurship or Institutional Capacity

14. ALMP & PES
Research based on 468 measures relating to 150 OPs from all 25 Member States
Total expenditure € 43.9bn, of which € 22.3bn claimed under ESF
ALMP represents more than 40% of total ESF expenditure
ALL MS have used relatively big share of their ESF funds for ALMP/PES interventions
Total number of participations: 27million
In , ALMP/PES is present in 129 Priority Axes relating to 90 OPs from all 27 Member States

15. ALMP the champion of ESF support throughout Europe
Share of total ESF expenditure devoted to ALMP per MS

16. ALMP & PES Key areas of research Key findings
Assistance to people has been given through: providing personalised services, attention to specific target groups (young people, disabled, etc), training activities and employment creation (job and business creation, assisting vulnerable groups)
PES and Systems: Assistance to systems consisted in modernising Public Employment Services, developing Local Employment initiatives and creating a favourable environment to improve the conditions of functioning of the Labour Market.
Key findings
People first and work first: priority given to persons providing them with personalised services (12MS)
77% of co-funding for assisting people, 23% for assisting systems
30% of EU25 unemployed population took part in ESF co-funded ALMP activities
According to ad-hoc basis evaluations the insertion rates of participations is higher than 60%
In EU10, 21% of total LMP activities were co-funded by ESF
The insertion rate of participants into the labour market, even if only partially available, varies widely from one ALMP measure to another – between 0.2% and 82% according to the measure

17. Adaptability
Research based on 132 measures relating to 123 OPs from 23 Member States (no CY & LV)
Total expenditure € 11.8bn, of which € 5.1bn claimed under ESF
Just over 7m participations
At least 400,000 organisations
In , Adaptability is present in 247 Priority Axes relating to 106 OPs from all 27 Member States

18. Adaptability Key areas of research Key findings
Important note: scope of study is more narrow than “adaptability” policy field
Three stages of restructuring process: anticipation, management and mitigation
Two perspectives: enterprises and workers
Key findings
ESF promotes holistic approach (skills analysis, training programme, childcare facilities)
ESF supports SMEs, in particular micro-enterprises
ESF emphasises proactive initiatives (anticipation)

19. Human Potential in Research & Innovation
Research based on 126 measures relating to 85 OPs from 18 Member States
Total expenditure € 6.6bn, of which € 3.4bn claimed under ESF
Italy spends almost € 2bn; Finland dedicates over 40% of its ESF allocation to human potential
3.1m participations and at least 85,000 organisations
In , human potential is present in 92 Priority Axes relating to 75 OPs from 23 MS
ESF funding for human potential amounts to € 4.4bn

20. Human Potential in Research & Innovation
Key areas of research
Developments in higher education: raising skills profile and research capacity; mobility and international cooperation; access to higher education
Cooperation and know-how transfer between research institutes and the business sector
Key findings
ESF contributes to European Research Area
ESF supports modernisation of tertiary education
New MS use ESF to strengthen national R&D policies

21. Labour Mobility
Research based on 156 measures relating to 82 OPs from 17 Member States
About 675,000 persons and 17,000 organisations (mainly companies) benefited from ESF interventions with an explicit link to labour mobility
More than 100,000 workers and trainees
Over 100,000 students and researchers
Almost 60,000 people had their competences and skills recognised
In , labour mobility is present in 79 Priority Axes relating to 45 OPs from 20 Member States

22. Labour Mobility Key areas of research Key findings
(Removing) obstacles to mobility
Mobility of workers and jobseekers
Mobility of students and researchers
Key findings
Labour mobility is often an indirect (and unplanned) outcome of ESF interventions. The reported achievements underestimate the true reach of ESF.
A few MS use ESF to attract their own researchers working abroad to return home: “reverse brain drain”.

23. Education and Lifelong Learning
Research based on 558 measures relating to 178 OPs from all 25 Member States
Total expenditure € 43.8bn, of which € 22.8bn claimed under ESF
Education and LLL represent 42% of total ESF expenditure
Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland and Cyprus use big share of the overall ESF funds for education and LLL
Almost 33m participations in
In , education and LLL are present in 318 Priority Axes relating to 106 OPs from all 27 MS

24. Education & Lifelong Learning
Key areas of research:
Formal education
Vocational education and training
Continuing education and LLL
Education and LLL systems
Key findings
Scope of study is broader than LLL policy field: overlap with ALMP, adaptability and social inclusion
The type of interventions is highly varied
ESF contributes to modernisation of LLL systems
ESF makes the difference in getting individuals into training/education

25. Women, Gender Mainstreaming and Conciliation work & private life
Research based on 244 measures relating to 141 OPs from 22 Member States
Total expenditure € 9.3bn, of which € 4.5bn claimed under ESF
Gender represents 8% of total ESF expenditure
Two Member States (Malta and Belgium) using relatively big share of their ESF funds for gender interventions
Total number of participations: 4.6m
74% women and 26% men (variations across Member States)
In , Gender is present in 181 Priority Axes relating to 93 OPs from 25 Member States

26. Women, Gender Mainstreaming and Conciliation work & private life
Key areas of research:
Gender mainstreaming.
Measures specifically addressing men/women.
Conciliation of work and private life.
Key findings:
Overlaps between measures.

27. Women, Gender Mainstreaming and Conciliation work & private life
Besides the strategic approach to gender mainstreaming, also specific measures, e.g. setting up a monitoring systems for follow-up of gender related issues and gender mainstreaming. 46/244 measures, 1.3m participations and 20% of ESF contribution.
Measures specifically addressing women:181/244 measures, 3.3m participations and 76% of ESF contribution.
Measures on conciliation of work and private life: 63/244 measures, 1.3m participations and 26% of ESF contribution.

28. Implementation Challenges
Result indicators (and impact data) are not consistently provided: the most common (output) indicator is (total) participants/participations
Information on gender, age, labour market status or educational level is only provided for part of the measures
Interventions announced in programming docs are often not reported during implementation
Certain themes are addressed by ESF but only as part of a broader measure or through projects