Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (Netherlands)

Netherlands

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The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (Ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid; SZW) is the Dutch ministry of social affairs: it is occupied with employment, relations between employers and employees, the system of social security, and emancipation. The current minister is Henk Kamp.

Responsibilities

The ministry is responsible for five fields of policy:

• Employment and the labour market
• Social security
• Income-policy
• Relations between employers and employees
• Occupational safety and health

Organisation

The main office in The Hague

The ministry is currently headed by one minister and one state secretary. The ministry's main office is located in The Hague. The civil service is headed by a Secretary General and a vice-secretary general, who head a system of three directorates general:

• Relations between employers and employees and international affairs
• Occupational safety and Health and social insurances
• Labour market policy and social welfare

Furthermore, there is an inspector general responsible for the inspection employment and income, who supervises the local centres for employment and income.

Mobility centres

Beginning in 2006, the Ministry established a network of mobility centres whose function is to coordinate the multiple companies of any given industry to facilitate the movement of employees between companies. This is seen as an alternative to forced lay-offs.

History

The ministry was founded in 1933, at the height of the Great Depression. Before that the limited social policy had been the responsibility of the ministry of Economic Affairs. After the Second World War the ministry became much more important, as the Netherlands transformed into a welfare state.

In 1982 the responsibility for labour market policy was transferred to the ministry from the ministry of Economic Affairs in order to enlarge the portfolio of vice-prime minister Joop den Uyl. Emancipation also became a responsibility of the ministry.

Ministers

Since 1989 the following politicians have been minister of Social Affairs and Employment

• 2010-now Henk Kamp (VVD)
  • 2010-now Paul de Krom (VVD, state secretary)
• 2007-2010 Piet Hein Donner (CDA)
  • 2007-2008 Ahmed Aboutaleb (PvdA, state secretary)
  • 2008-2010 Jetta Klijnsma (PvdA, state secretary)
• 2002-2007 Aart Jan de Geus (CDA)
  • 2004-2007 Henk van Hoof (VVD, state secretary)
  • 2002-2004 Mark Rutte (VVD, state secretary)
  • 2002 Khee Liang Phoa (LPF, state secretary)
• 2000-2002 Willem Vermeend (PvdA)
• 1998-2000 Klaas de Vries (PvdA)
  • 1998-2002 Hans Hoogervorst (VVD, state secretary)
  • 1998-2002 Annelies Verstand (D66, state secretary)
• 1994-1998 Ad Melkert (PvdA)
  • 1996-1998 Frank de Grave (VVD)
  • 1994-1996 Robin Linschoten (VVD)
• 1989-1994 Bert de Vries (CDA)
  • 1989-1993 Elske ter Veld (PvdA)
  • 1993-1994 Jacques Wallage (PvdA)

External links

• Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment Portal:Politics