The Transformation of Unemployment Insurance in terms of Active Labour Market Policies

Questioned by different perspectives at different levels during short history of capitalism, unemployment, as a socioeconomic fact and a crucial problem in the economy, has still been in existence. In addition to employment policies, compensating mechanisms based on insurance technique have been implemented to combat unemployment during over a century. Unemployment insurance implemented as a part of social security system in Turkey for a quarter century has been changed systematically and shifted semantically. Unemployment benefits have been used as a moderatig tool for active labour market policies rather than as a compensating mechanism from 2008 onwards. The basic philosophy of this transformation is compatible with neoliberal flexibility approach; aimthe is improving employability rather than creating new opportunities for employment. As a matter of fact Labour Agency, as a main actor of activating politics, responsible for the unemployment insurance fund officially is carried out training programs and courses by using the fund to improve employability to be consistent with the demands of market. Do unemployment benefits subjected to systematic interventions pollitically have the same function as it had in the beginning? This paper tries to give a satisfactory answer to such questions by examining activities of Labour Agency both in Tunceli province and in general.