Arbeitsmarktservice Österreich, AMS

Austrian Labour Market Service (Arbeitsmarktservie Österreich, AMS) A body under public law created by the 1994 Labour Market Service Act (Arbeitsmarktservicegesetz), formerly part of the Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs, providing services for and on the labour market (vocational consulting, counselling, work placement, labour policy promotion, etc.), the accounting and payment of wage replacement benefits in the case of unemployment and supervisory services in the context of the Employment of Aliens Act. The AMS is divided into 1 federal, 9 provincial and 106 regional offices, with approx. 4,200 employees (in 2000). It is mainly financed by contributions from unemployment insurance.