ESF Plus delivering strong results
- Date
- 2026.03.10
Current figures highlight the success of the federal ESF Plus funding programme's implementation. Supported by ESF Plus and federal funding, Germany has achieved the following to date (as of end-January 2026) during 2021-2026:
- Support for around 320,000 individuals,
- advice for more than 51,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),
- and funding for 45,235 projects.
ESF Plus funding programmes achieved strong target group representation:
- women accounted for 57 percent of participants,
- some 45,330 individuals gained qualifications: the ESF Plus projects placed around 11,000 participants in school-based or vocational training and over 25,000 participants in employment (including self-employment),
- approximately two-thirds had a migration background,
- 38 percent of participants had low educational levels,
- and about half were younger than 29.
Bärbel Bas, Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs:
The current funding period of the European Social Fund Plus (ESF Plus) has been marked by far-reaching economic and social change, posing challenges for national and EU policy-makers while having a tangible impact on the everyday lives of EU citizens. My goal as Minister of Labour and Social Affairs is to secure jobs and get people into work. It is important to me to continue to support employees and companies individually in the transformation of working life. The ESF Plus is proving to be a successful instrument for this. It is a strong and sensible addition to national employment and social policy."
The programmes and projects funded by the ESF Plus open up new opportunities for people and give them the chance to take control of their professional future. The 31 current federal funding programmes aim to improve training and labour market opportunities for young people and those with a migration background, develop further vocational training opportunities for employed people, support disadvantaged families, assist the most deprived, and help small and medium-sized enterprises to secure skilled labour and support start-ups.
The funding programmes are based on the ESF Plus Federal Programme, which is implemented under the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs with the involvement of other ministries.
In Germany, the federal and Land governments will receive a total of around 6.56 billion euros from the ESF Plus Programme by 2027. Of this, around 2.22 billion euros will flow into the ESF Plus Federal Programme and around 4.34 billion euros into the ESF Plus activities of the Länder. The funds are co-financed at federal and Land level.
