Jobcenter Märkischer Kreis

What Jobcenter Märkischer Kreis does

Jobcenter Märkischer Kreis is a German public employment agency (gemeinsame Einrichtung) jointly established and operated by the Märkischer Kreis district and the Agentur für Arbeit Iserlohn under §44b of the Social Code Book II (SGB II). The organization was founded on January 1, 2005 as the Arbeitsgemeinschaft (ARGE) Märkischer Kreis and was renamed to Jobcenter Märkischer Kreis on January 1, 2011 following revisions to SGB II. It administers statutory basic income support (Bürgergeld) and provides employment reintegration services for residents of the Märkischer Kreis district in North Rhine-Westphalia. Service delivery spans 10 physical service locations across the district's municipalities (Iserlohn, Altena, Lüdenscheid, Menden, Plettenberg, Werdohl, Hemer, Meinerzhagen, Kierspe, and others), supplemented by a phone service center, online appointment booking, and digital self-service channels.

The service portfolio is built on a digital platform layer (jobcenter.digital portal, the JC-App launched January 14, 2025, and the forthcoming BA-Secure App scheduled April 2026) and a physical branch network. Programmatic offerings include vocational counseling (with Virtual Reality-based career orientation), vocational training subsidies (Förderung beruflicher Weiterbildung), specialized U25 youth programs (Ausbildungsförderung), long-term unemployed reintegration (§16e/§16i SGB II), wage subsidies for employers, short-time work allowance processing, the Bildung und Teilhabe (BuT) education package for children, and a Bedarfsrechner eligibility calculator. Integrations with external federal tools (BERUFENET, CHECK-U, KURSNET, mein NOW) extend career exploration and matching capabilities.

The business model is non-commercial: all operations are tax-funded through federal (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) and municipal (Märkischer Kreis) appropriations. No fees are charged to citizens for services; recipients receive Bürgergeld benefits subject to means-testing under SGB II. Customer segments include unemployed job seekers (primary), employers (Arbeitgeber) seeking staff and wage subsidies, young people under 25, single parents, long-term unemployed individuals, workers seeking qualification, and self-employed persons receiving support. Leadership is headed by Geschäftsführerin Anna Markmann, with supporting roles for data protection, equal opportunity, and press functions. The organization has no subsidiaries, no equity funding, no commercial revenue, and operates within a statutory monopoly boundary.

Name

Jobcenter Märkischer Kreis

Legal name

Jobcenter Märkischer Kreis

Website

https://jobcenter-mk.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Jobcenter Märkischer Kreis is a German public employment agency jointly operated by the Märkischer Kreis district and the Agentur für Arbeit Iserlohn under SGB II, administering Bürgergeld benefits and providing employment reintegration services across 10 locations in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Employment and Welfare Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Individual and Family Services (6241), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Job Readiness Support Services (BPAGAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workforce Support Services & Case Management (Coaching, Wraparound) (EDAAAOAK), Unemployment Insurance & Employment Support Benefits (BPAIAKAB), Job Placement, Matching & Career Navigation Services (EDAAAOAL), Workforce Development & Inclusive Employment (Job Training, Placement) (BPAGALAB)

Keywords

• Unemployment benefits administration
• Employment reintegration services
• Vocational training programs
• Wage subsidy programs
• Public employment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Iserlohn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding (Tax-funded Operations): The Jobcenter operates as a publicly funded government institution. All services are financed through public taxation. There is no commercial revenue generation. The organization distributes unemployment benefits (Bürgergeld) funded by federal and municipal contributions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Jobcenter Märkischer Kreis administers Germany's Bürgergeld (citizen's income) benefits under SGB II and provides integrated employment reintegration services to eligible residents of the Märkischer Kreis district. Services include unemployment benefit payments, job placement, vocational training and qualification funding, wage subsidies to employers, career counseling, and personalized coaching for job seekers, with multi-channel delivery through 10 physical service locations, an online portal, and a mobile app.

Product overview

Jobcenter Märkischer Kreis is a public employment agency (gemeinsame Einrichtung) established under § 44b SGB II, jointly operated by Märkischer Kreis and Agentur für Arbeit Iserlohn since 2011. The organization delivers a unified service portfolio centered on basic income support (Bürgergeld) and employment reintegration. The core digital infrastructure consists of jobcenter.digital (the federal Bundesagentur für Arbeit portal), the proprietary Jobcenter-App (JC-App) launched January 2025 for mobile access, and the forthcoming BA-Secure App (April 2026) for authentication. Physical service delivery occurs through Kunden-Center branches across 10 municipalities, supplemented by the Online-Terminbuchung appointment system. The vocational support ecosystem includes berufliche Weiterbildung (with VR-supported career orientation), specialized Ausbildungsförderung U25 programs for youth, and § 16e/§ 16i long-term unemployed subsidies. Education support is provided through the Bildung und Teilhabe (BuT) package. An eligibility calculator (Bedarfsrechner) enables prospective clients to self-assess benefit entitlement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jobcenter-App (JC-App) Mobile application launched January 2025 that allows citizens to access regional Jobcenter information, submit applications, use a digital postbox, upload documents, book appointments, search jobs, and communicate with caseworkers.
• jobcenter.digital Online Portal Federal online portal operated by Bundesagentur für Arbeit enabling customers to complete applications, upload documents, communicate with case workers via secure postbox, and access services digitally without visiting physical offices.
• Online-Terminbuchung (Online Appointment Booking) Digital appointment booking system covering Balve, Hemer, Herscheid, Iserlohn, Lüdenscheid, Menden, Plettenberg, and Werdohl, allowing customers to schedule visits up to 14 days in advance based on postal code and service needs.
• Berufliche Weiterbildung (Vocational Continuing Education) Vocational training and continuing education programs supporting job seekers in obtaining professional qualifications, enhanced by Virtual Reality-based career orientation using VR glasses during counseling.
• Bedarfsrechner (Eligibility Calculator) Online eligibility calculator tool allowing citizens to estimate their potential entitlement to Bürgergeld (citizen's income) before applying.
• Förderung für Langzeitarbeitslose (§16e/§16i SGB II) Long-term unemployed support programs including wage cost subsidies for employers (§16e SGB II) and labor market participation support (§16i SGB II) with workplace coaching for individuals unemployed at least 2 years.
• Ausbildungsförderung U25 (Youth Training Support) Specialized training and education support programs for job seekers under 25, including preparatory vocational measures, assisted training, entry qualifications, and extra-company training.
• Bildung und Teilhabe (BuT) Education and participation package providing learning support, school meals, school trips, school supplies, transportation, and social/cultural participation benefits for children from benefit-receiving families.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Agentur für Arbeit IserlohncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Agentur für Arbeit Iserlohn (Iserlohn Employment Agency) is the federal-level partner in the joint institution (gemeinsame Einrichtung). Together with the Märkischer Kreis district, they jointly operate the Jobcenter Märkischer Kreis under § 44b SGB II. The partnership combines federal employment agency expertise with local municipal administration.
• Märkischer Kreis (District)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Märkischer Kreis is the municipal-level partner in the joint institution. As the local government authority, it provides co-financing and local administrative infrastructure for the implementation of basic security for job seekers under SGB II.
• Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe national Bundesagentur für Arbeit provides the jobcenter.digital platform, JC-App infrastructure, and job exchange database (Jobbörse) that the local Jobcenter utilizes. All 300 German Jobcenters use these shared digital services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Department for Work and Pensions (UK): UK national agency administering working-age benefits (Universal Credit) and running Jobcentre Plus employment services. Closest international analog to the German Jobcenter system — comparable function though not under SGB II.
• France Travail (Pôle Emploi): French national agency for employment registration and unemployment benefit administration, recently rebranded from Pôle Emploi. Comparable function as integrated benefits + job placement body, though national rather than municipal.
• Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency): National parent-level agency that provides the jobcenter.digital platform, JC-App, and Jobbörse infrastructure used by all 300 German Jobcenters, including this one. Directly comparable as the overarching statutory employment services body under SGB III/II.

Direct peers

• Jobcenter Hamburg: City-state Jobcenter for Hamburg under SGB II, providing integrated Bürgergeld and labor market integration services. Comparable mandate and program mix; different geographic scale.
• Agentur für Arbeit Iserlohn: Co-governing partner of Jobcenter Märkischer Kreis under § 44b SGB II — the local federal employment agency branch jointly responsible for operating the Jobcenter. Operates in the same district with overlapping SGB III/unemployment insurance functions.
• Jobcenter München: Munich's statutory Jobcenter under § 44b SGB II — same organizational form, same benefit and reintegration mandate, but operating in a much larger metropolitan catchment. Useful comparable for service-design scaling.
• Jobcenter Berlin Mitte: Another statutory gemeinsame Einrichtung under § 44b SGB II, providing Bürgergeld administration and employment reintegration in Berlin. Directly comparable institutional form, legal mandate, and service portfolio.
• Jobcenter Frankfurt am Main: Statutory Jobcenter under SGB II in Frankfurt — directly comparable institutional setup, delivery model, and target-group programs (U25, long-term unemployed subsidies, etc.).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat1 record

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jobcenter-m%C3%A4rkischer-kreis

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jobcenter Märkischer Kreis