Recent developments in active labour market policy for youth: changes in the incorporation of social work

Based on long-standing empirical research on active labour market policy on different target groups, especially youth and young adults, some recent developments in the field of youth employment policy are outlined as this field has been undergoing certain changes and paradigm shifts. Apart from describing recent developments, the focus of the article is on the discussion of the role and function of social work in the transition periods between middle school, training and employment and the question is addressed which function social work has in the context of labour market policy for young people.