Government response to the pandemic

Abstract

„The German Government plays a strong role in cushioning negative social and economic repercussions of the pandemic. The government’s prominent role in crisis management is rooted in the German “social market economy” model which relies on an extensive set of instruments and policies for regulating as well as stabilizing and stimulating business activities, actively supporting the provision of labour, and providing social security. An extensive set of economic, labour and social policies were implemented in 2020. In Vocational Education and Training, the financial measures aim in particular at counteracting the tendency to reduce training places by companies severely threatened by the economic impact of the crisis. With these measures and incentives, the government is for the first time allocating bonus payments and subsidies to SMEs to support them in their training engagements. This text provides an overview of the measures implemented in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.“ (authors’ abstract; BIBB-Doku)