ABSTRACT
The holding company type structure is common to several types of initiatives, community businesses, Settlements, and offers central management services as well as a development function. Although the voluntary sector plays a major role in supporting disadvantaged groups in society, its role in in labour market integration and employment creation is much smaller, though statistics are not readily available. With regard to active labour market (LM) policies that include wage subsidies, job creation, schemes integrating workers into trading enterprises, a major active LM measure during the 1980s was the Community Programme. The most important influences on the number of new co-operatives being formed have almost certainly been declining unemployment and a reduction in development support. All carers are members of the co-operative; they are self-employed for private clients and employed for social service contracts, which makes life a little complicated for accounts and administration. Community businesses share many of the principles of co-operatives and have gradually increased in number.
