NATIONAL LABOUR MARKET POLICIES
Basic Information Reports
1.2.1.Organisation and responsibilities
The BMAGS consists of eight divisions, which are again divided into groups, departments, sub-departments and other organisational units (legal offices, library and accounts department). There are also staff units under the direct charge of the Federal Minister. The structure of the BMAGS is based on the stipulations laid down in the Federal Ministries Act of 1986.
Staff units:
Office of the Federal Minister, Department of Public Relations.
Divisions:
Division I: Personnel, economic affairs, budgetary affairs, data-processing, general legal affairs, training, organisation, internal auditing and accounting.
Division II: Social security.
Division III: Employment policy.
Division IV: Home-care insurance, affairs of the disabled, pensions and social welfare.
Division V: Labour law and general social policy, outwork commissions.
Division VI: Central labour inspectorate.
Division VII: Health economics, social sciences and marketing.
Division VIII: Health service.
Divisions IV, VI and VIII have subordinate administrative offices.
Division IV: The Federal Offices for Social Affairs and the Disabled (the successors to the Land Offices for Invalids): their functions include enforcing the Disabled Persons Recruitment Act and the Federal Nursing Allowances Act and administering the Equalisation Tax and War Victims Funds with the aim of guaranteeing rapid and effective aid to persons in need. As of 1 January 1995 these offices are also charged with monitoring the hiring out of labour and non-AMS job placement and processing benefits to compensate for insolvency losses.
Division VI: Labour inspectorates: throughout Austria over 300 labour inspectorates monitor the observance of regulations concerning employee protection. At the same time they also fulfil an advisory role to employers, e.g. in corporate planning or with respect to risk prevention. As of 1 January 1995 the labour inspectorates are also charged with controlling illegal employment.
Division VIII: The Federal Offices for Bacteriological and Serological Analyses, the Federal Office for Chemical and Pharmaceutical Analyses, the Federal Office for Experimental Pharmacological and Balneological Analyses, the Federal Institute for Serum Analyses and the Federal Academies of Midwifery.
The social security system is a self-administering body under the supervision of the BMAGS. Division II thus deals with fundamental social security issues, legal affairs and questions concerning federal supervision of insurers.
The AMS came into being under Division III on 1 July 1994 with the transfer of the labour market authority's functions (see the following chapters for details).
| 
