"The successful ESF Plus must be continued!"

Date

2026.10.07

ESF Plus funding programmes achieved strong target group representation:

• women accounted for 57,3 percent of participants,
• some 69,054 individuals gained qualifications: the ESF Plus projects placed around 13,545 participants in school-based or vocational training and 31,546 participants in employment (including self-employment),
• approximately two-thirds had a migration background,
• 43 percent of participants had low educational levels,
• and more than a third were younger than 29.

Bärbel Bas, Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs:

The world is changing at a rapid pace. Alongside global crises and climate change, artificial intelligence - or AI for short - in particular requires us to find new answers as a society, in business and across the labour market.

My goal is clear: in these challenging times, we must not leave businesses and workers to navigate this shift alone. Instead, we must actively support them through the transition. The European Social Fund plays a crucial role here. For instance, ESF Plus projects advise small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their workforces on how to adopt AI effectively and productively. There is still significant untapped potential for AI integration, especially among SMEs. ESF Plus helps ensure that smaller businesses and workers are both equipped for tomorrow's economy and working world. Future opportunities should never depend on company size. As the high level of participation in ESF Plus shows, the successful work of the fund must continue in the future."

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.