Supported employment for over 50s

Workers aged 50 or over have a great of potential to bring to the labour market. However, they often face challenges when looking for a job. This is why the federal government and cantons are trialling the new supported employment labour market measure for jobseekers aged over 50. The pilot will run for five years from 2021 to 2025.

Potential of the workforce: Federal measures

The new supported employment programme is aimed at people aged 50 or over who are about to lose their unemployment benefits, and aims to find them a suitable job. The programme lasts for up to 18 months and therefore covers the period after they have lost their entitlement to unemployment benefit.

Explanatory video: Supported employment for jobseekers aged 50 or over (in German)

Flyer (in German): Supported employment programme for jobseekers aged 50 or over (PDF, 178 kB, 21.12.2023)

What’s new?
The programme is different from conventional labour market measures organised by the unemployment insurance. Participation is voluntary. Jobseekers aged 50 or over are invited to participate in the programme, and they don’t need to be referred by the competent RAV. Job coaches are heavily involved in the job search, and assist participants and employers even after participants have started a new role. To ensure lasting integration, an allowance can be paid to employers where necessary and/or training measures can be offered to employees.

What does supported employment mean?

Supported employment (SE) has been successfully used for some time as a model for supporting people who have difficulty entering the labour market. It aims to help people achieve sustainable long-term employment. SE is a new approach in unemployment insurance. The pilot trial is designed to show whether the positive experiences and research findings on the impact of supported employment can also be transferred to the situation of jobseekers aged 50 or over.

Swiss Association for Supported Employment (in German only))

Information for jobseekers

Who can make use of the programme

To take part in the programme, you need to be 50 or over and about to lose your unemployment benefits. As such, you will receive an invitation from the supported employment office in your canton. You should want to have another go at finding a suitable job. And you should think that a job coach would be useful to help get you back into the workplace. Even after you have started a new job, you must be prepared to continue to work with your job coach.

What you need to do to participate

Have you received an invitation? Contact the person mentioned on the invitation and arrange an initial, non-binding meeting. Bring the invitation with you to the meeting. Once you have spoken to the job coach, you can decide whether you want to participate in the programme or not. The job coach will inform the unemployment insurance, who will manage the administrative side of your participation in the programme. Participation is free of charge and runs regardless of whether or not you are entitled to unemployment benefits.

Below you will find a list of the offices responsible for the supported employment programme in the individual cantons:
Liste der «Supported Employment»-Fachstellen in den 13 teilnehmenden Kantonen (PDF, 53 kB, 17.11.2021)

How long you’ll receive support

The job search is planned to last a maximum of six months. If you manage to find a job in that time, your coach will continue to support you even after you’ve started the new job for a total of 18 months. If no job is found within six months, the programme ends.

What you can expect if you participate

You will meet with your job coach about once a week. You will work together to develop a plan on where you have the best chance of getting hired with your profile. The job coach helps you with your job search and also actively looks for suitable roles for you. And you continue to write applications.

Once you’ve started the new job, you will meet your job coach regularly to discuss how you are coping with the new demands and circumstances and how you can master the challenges of the new role. If you require additional qualifications for your new position, the job coach can fund relevant courses in consultation with you and your employer. Your new employer may also be eligible for a financial allowance if they incur costs for your induction or on-the-job training.

How you benefit

If the mutual job search efforts are successful, you can find a new job in a working environment that suits you. The job coach will support you with your reintegration and be on hand after you have started the new role. You can secure a new job, potentially in a slightly different role from what you were doing before, and gain long-term career prospects.

Information for employers

Jobseekers aged 50 or over have a great deal of work experience and are motivated to take on new professional challenges. Jobseekers taking part in the supported employment programme apply specifically for jobs where their profile matches the job requirements. Because participants and their coaches concentrate on their professional profiles and the opportunities on the labour market, you as an employer will receive tailor-made offers and applications that are a great fit for your organisation.

If additional qualifications are needed for the role, the job coaches can quickly and simply fund relevant courses. You will receive a financial allowance to help cover any costs incurred for on-the-job training. Seize the opportunity and give a jobseeker over 50 the chance to be a part of your team.

Contact for media representatives
VSAA
Association of Swiss Labour Market Authorities
Haus der Kantone
Speichergasse 6, Postfach
3001 Bern
031 310 08 90
info(at)vsaa.ch