Impact WISEs

2024 - Impact-WISEs study results

The 2024 Impact-WISEs study underlines the positive socio-economic contributions of work integration social enterprises (WISEs) across Europe. The 2024 study, based on data from 2023, highlights the strides WISEs have made in promoting inclusive employment, supporting disadvantaged communities, and driving sustainable development.

In 2024, 8 national and regional WISEs networks spanning 8 European Union countries took part in the study. Together they represented 2,604 WISEs and 241,091 workers. Among these workers, 214,349 are from disadvantaged groups.

WISEs key sectors of activities in 2023 included the provision of staff and temporary work, followed by transport and logistics, waste collection, treatment, recycling, and reuse, agriculture, environment, and green spaces, building and public works, food, restaurants, and catering, cleaning services as well as other fields such as energy-saving consultancy and health services.

WISEs are making tangible contributions to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (more importantly the SDGs N°8,1,10,5,4 and 12) as well as to 14/20 principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights (most importantly to principles number 5, 6, 3, 4, 1, 10, 2 and 9).

Economic efficiency: WISEs not only address social issues but also prove to be economically viable. In 2023, 2,604 WISEs collectively generated a turnover of €2.76 billion, with an average turnover of €1.06 million per enterprise. These figures demonstrate that inclusivity and economic efficiency can go hand in hand.

Social impact: The study’s findings on social impact highlight positive results for disadvantaged individuals:
• 47% transitioned to employment in the labor market;
• 15% became self-employed;
• 4% pursued professional training;
• 34% had other outcomes (unemployment, non-employed, illness…).
In total, 66% of participants achieved a positive outcome after their integration pathways.

WISEs clients: private customers remain the largest clientele, accounting for 77% of WISEs’ business. Public procurement, however, plays a role in countries like Slovenia, Romania, and Croatia.

Finally, in 2024, the primary WISEs’ target groups included people with disabilities, women, migrants, elderly and young people.

2022 - Impact WISEs Study results

In 2022, 12 national and regional WISEs networks from 10 European Union’s countries plus Serbia and Moldova took part in the study providing data for the year 2021. In total, the study represents 2 164 WISEs, 118,132 workers (92,364 disadvantaged workers and 25,768 non-disadvantaged workers).

WISEs main sectors of activity: the sectors in which WISEs were the most active in 2022 are transport, followed by waste collection and treatment, temporary staff, agriculture and environment and finally the building, public works and textile sectors. 

Contribution to SDGs: Through the evaluation of WISEs contribution to the United Nations Agenda 2030 for sustainable development goals (SDGs), ENSIE confirms that WISEs do contribute, through their daily activities, to all the SDGs. Most importantly to Goals number 8, 1, 10, 12, 5, 11, 4, 2 and 17.

WISEs economic efficiency: This year, 2,125 WISEs provided their financial data for the study. The total turnover of the study is 1,898,750,448.70 €. Consequently, the average turnover is at 893,529.62€. This shows the economic efficiency of this enterprise model.

WISEs social impact: In 2022, the results for the 80,113 disadvantaged workers, who have followed an integration pathway in 2, 072 work integration social enterprises from 10 countries that provided data on the social impact, are the following ones:

• 40% - Found a job on the labour market
• 21% - Became self-employed or started an education program
• 39% - Other (unemployment, sickness, retirement etc)

Around 61% of disadvantaged people have a positive outcome after following an integration path through a WISE. 

• WISEs clients: ENSIE study shows that the category which buys the most products and services from WISEs are private customers. However, public procurement is also quite frequent in some countries as Spain, Slovenia, Romania, Croatia and Serbia.

2021 - Impact WISEs Study results

In 2021, ENSIE only did a short study of Impact-WISEs, that shows, as every year the huge positive impact of WISEs on workers in integration ! This year study is combined with the study of WISEs one year after COVID-19! 

2020 - Impact WISEs Study results

You can find here the results of the 2020 Impact-WISEs study, based on the 2019 data. This year, 11 national and regional WISEs networks from 10 European countries took part in the study.

In total, the study covers 10 136 disadvantaged workers and shows that, after going through the integration pathway, 79% of the disadvantaged workers found a job in the same WISE, in another one or on the traditional labour market.

2019 - Impact WISEs Study results

You can find here the results of the 2018 Impact WISEs Study, this year, the data is covering 8 EU Member States, Moldova and Serbia, overall 712 WISEs, 50 730 workers and 38 022 disadvantaged workers. 

It showed that 47,19% of disadvantaged workers successfully found a job in the same WISE, another WISE or on the classic labour market, after going through the WISEs integration process whereas, 17,38% became self-employed or found a professional training. 

Impact-WISEs 2018

Since 2015, ENSIE with its members has launched the ‘Impact-WISEs’ study in order to measure but also demonstrate the social and economic impact WISEs produce to integrate disadvantaged people into the labour market. Read ENSIE’s recommendation for 2018.

Impact-WISEs 2017

ENSIE has published the new leaflet and booklet containing updates about the impact of WISEs in Europe.