About Us

More training.
More support.
More future.

The Social and Continuing Education Fund

The Social and Further Training Fund (SWF) was established in Austria in 2013 and supports temporary workers and temporary employment agencies. It is based on Section 22a of the Temporary Employment Act (AÜG) and financed by SWF contributions in accordance with Section 22d AÜG. These contributions are a prerequisite for claiming benefits from the fund.

The fund is managed by a board of directors and a control committee, with the board of directors managing the business. The Federal Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Health, Care, and Consumer Protection (BMASGPK) acts as the supervisory authority. The organizational chart provides a good overview of the structure of the SWF.

Services include training and further education support, counseling, unemployment benefits, and bridging allowances.

The objectives of this support are:

Additional qualifications and thus improvement of employability
Continuous employment/service relationships
Avoidance of unemployment
Alleviation of financial hardship in the event of unemployment

Read our SWF service regulations.

The Chairmen of the Board of SWF

"The Social and Training Fund means a great deal to me personally. As Chairman of the Board, I see every day how important support and training are for people in different life situations. It is a personal concern of mine that the fund opens up concrete opportunities, provides security, and creates prospects. For me, the SWF stands for solidarity in action and the responsibility to actively shape the future of employees." My motivation and drive to get involved with the SWF come from my conviction that work must be more than just a means of securing a livelihood. I want to help ensure that people have real opportunities for development, can continue their education, and are not left alone in difficult times. Seeing that our work has a concrete impact and positively influences people's lives is the strongest motivation for me to fulfill this responsibility with commitment and heart. My goal is for people in the temporary employment industry to have permanent and stable employment prospects. In the future, they should not be unemployed between assignments, but should be able to use this time wisely for training and further education. Alternatively, employers should have the option of claiming bridging allowances to ensure job security. In this way, we create stability, development opportunities, and sustainable prospects for employees in the industry."

Thomas Grammelhofer (PRO-GE) Chairman of the Board

"For me, the SWF is much more than a network—it is a platform that brings together responsibility, expertise, and entrepreneurial thinking. In a time of great economic and social change, we at the SWF are creating a framework that enables dialogue on equal terms and fosters new solutions from different perspectives. The Social and Training Fund strengthens temporary workers, supports companies in challenging phases, and creates real qualification opportunities. In this way, we secure employment and increase the competitiveness of the entire industry. This mission makes the SWF a key driver of stability, development, and fairness in the labor market. Our strength lies in the diversity of the temporary employment industry and in our commitment to actively contributing to the positive development of our business location. We pool knowledge, promote dialogue, and facilitate cooperation that has an impact far beyond day-to-day business. I am delighted to be actively involved in shaping this development on the Executive Board – with openness, creative drive, and the conviction that strong communities make a difference."

Andreas Falkensteiner (WKO/FV gew. DL) Deputy Chair

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The BODIES of the SWF

The Social and Continuing Education Fund (SWF) is supported by two central bodies: the Executive Board and the Supervisory Committee.

The Executive Board is responsible for the strategic and economic management of the fund. Its tasks include preparing the annual budget, the financial statements, and the rules of procedure, which require the approval of the Supervisory Committee. Director Karin Assem-Honsik and her dedicated team are responsible for operational implementation.

The Executive Board consists of six members – three representatives each from the employee and employer sides. The employee side is represented by trade unions that conclude collective agreements for temporary workers. The employer side is represented by the Professional Association of Commercial Service Providers in the Austrian Chamber of Commerce.

The Control Committee monitors the activities of the Executive Board and, in particular, checks compliance with legal requirements and the appropriate and economical use of funds. Once a year, it prepares an audit report, thereby contributing significantly to the transparency and quality assurance of the fund's work.

The Supervisory Committee consists of four members – two representatives each from the employee and employer sides. All members of the Executive Board and Supervisory Committee perform their duties on a voluntary basis. The term of office is four years, and a substitute member is appointed for each member.

Here are some members of the Executive Board and Supervisory Committee: Andreas Kern, Klaus Mayrhofer, Günther Gnadenberger, Georg Grundei, Wolfgang Langthaler (substitute member of the Executive Board of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber/FV gewerbl. DL), Thomas Grammelhofer, Andreas Falkensteiner, Roland Fürst (from top to bottom, from left to right).

Executive Board & Audit Committee

Here are the current members of the SWF bodies:

SWF Executive Board
Thomas Grammelhofer, Chairman (PRO-GE)
Andreas Falkensteiner, Deputy Chairman (WKÖ/FV gewerbl. DL)
Klaus Mayrhofer, graduate (PRO-GE)
Markus Archan, MSc (WKÖ/FV gewerbl. DL)
Georg Grundei, graduate (GPA)
Günther Gnadenberger, MSc MBA (WKÖ/FV gewerbl. DL)

SWF Audit
Committee Mag. Roland Fürst, Chairman (WKÖ/FV gewerbl. DL)
Mag.^a Helga Hons, Deputy Chair (GPA)
Mag. Martin Fehrmann (WKÖ/FV gewerbl. DL)
Andreas Kern (PRO-GE)