The Aktion 20,000 program was a response to the long term unemployment of Austrians 50 years and older (in 2016, some 50,000 people were identified in this category) (1). The goal was to directly create 20,000 jobs for this group, improve quality of life, and interrupt the cycle of long-term unemployment. Elements of the program were continued after 2019 on a smaller scale to provide employment for long-term unemployed over 50 (2).

The Aktion Zukunft Jugend is a subsidiary program of the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) and the Austrian Youth Guarantee. It is focused on young people’s economic development, specifically (re-)training and employment matching. The program provides a safety net and helps guide young people toward socially and economically important professions.

This program sought to end long-term unemployment in Gramatneusiedl, Austria (an industrial area formerly known as Marienthal and 25 km south of Vienna) with close experimental study during the planning and implementation phases. The program created jobs across fields in both market and nonmarket sectors and studied the social and economic impact of providing a guaranteed job compared to a synthetic control composed of similar economies in Austria (1).