IHS has secured a major framework contract with the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) to produce expert scientific reports on key issues related to the welfare state, the labor market, and the transformation of the social market economy. Over the coming years, the Institute will leverage its expertise in economics, social sciences, and political science to address pressing labor market and social policy challenges, providing analysis to guide BMAS policy decisions and support the Ministry’s strategic priorities.
The project will address a range of critical topics, including securing a skilled workforce, vocational training, working conditions, income and wealth distribution, pension systems, and old-age provision. Additional focal points include the societal impacts of AI on the labor market and strategies for managing the ecological and digital transformations in a socially equitable manner. "This project underscores the Institute's strong reputation in research-driven policy advice, extending beyond Austria”, says Holger Bonin, project lead and IHS Director.
IHS will work alongside a consortium of distinguished German partners for this initiative, including the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IAW), ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI, IAQ – Institute for Work, Skills and Training, the Institute for Labour Law and Industrial Relations in the European Union (IAAEU), Gregor Thüsing (Director of the Institute for Labour Law and Social Security Law at the University of Bonn), and political scientists Marius R. Busemeyer (University of Konstanz) and Wolfgang Schroeder (University of Kassel), as well as the SOKO Institute for Social Research and Communication.