1 State - People - Authorities - 15 Authorities - 152 Council of State and Cantonal Administration - Section 1: General Provisions (OR-WSK)

1. The Department of Economy and Social Cohesion (DECS; hereinafter: the department) carries out the tasks assigned to the State in the fields of economic development and promotion, tourism and domiciliation, trade registry, regional policy, employment and the fight against unemployment, professional integration and social inclusion, support for individuals living with disabilities, migration, multicultural cohesion, prevention of racism and other forms of discrimination, protection of workers, federal social insurances (Old Age and Survivors Insurance (AVS), Invalidity Insurance (AI), and Loss of Earnings Insurance (APG)), family allowances, as well as in matters of social action, health insurance, combating domestic violence, and family policy and equality, relations between churches and the State, humanitarian aid and development cooperation.

2. It oversees the bureau of precious metal works control.

1. The department includes a general secretariat.

2. It comprises the following services

f) the adult support and accommodation service.

3. It is responsible for relations with the following entities

d) Disability Insurance Office (DIO).

1. The Head of the Department regularly meets with the Heads of Services and other entities, either in a general or individual meeting format.

2. The Secretary General participates in these meetings and ensures liaison between the Head of the Department and the services.

3. The secretariat for these meetings is managed by the General Secretariat.

1 The responsibilities of the services are established by the present regulation.

2. The assignment of special tasks or mandates is reserved.

1. The General Secretariat is responsible for tasks of coordination, planning, advising, and information dissemination.

2. Its duties notably include

a) advising and assisting the head of the department;

b) managing and administering the secretariat of the department head;

c) coordinating internal activities within the department;

d) interdepartmental coordination;

e) planning, directing, and coordinating financial management in accordance with the State and Municipal Finance Law (LFinEC), dated June 24, 2014 [3];

f) handling the department's human resources responsibilities;

g) internal and external communication and information dissemination in collaboration with the State Chancellery;

h) overseeing the application of legislation regarding family allowances;

i) processing any payments from the department's budget that are not the responsibility of another entity.

3. It also provides secretarial services for the Cantonal Office of Conciliation concerning collective labor disputes and handles tasks related to the enforcement of legislation on gambling, relations between recognized churches and the State, humanitarian aid, and development cooperation.

4. The Office for Family Policy and Equality is administratively attached to it.

1. The Economic Service is responsible for the implementation of legislation concerning economic, tourism, and regional policy.

2. Its areas of activity include, notably

a) support for innovative enterprises;

b) promotion of the economic image of the Neuchâtel area;

c) prospecting and establishment of enterprises;

d) facilitation of procedures related to enterprises;

e) establishment and monitoring of collaborations and partnerships in the field of economic development at the international, national, intercantonal, or cantonal levels, both with public or semi-public and private partners;

f) granting of targeted aids;

g) support to the department for overseeing the Precious Metals Control Office.

3. The commercial register is administratively attached to it. It is specifically responsible for

b) maintaining the registers of matrimonial regimes.

**1. The Employment Service**

The Employment Service is responsible for ensuring, in collaboration with political, economic, and social stakeholders, the balanced development of the employment market.

**2. In Pursuit of This Goal, and in Compliance with Federal and Cantonal Legislation, the Employment Service's Areas of Responsibility Include:**

a) the development, implementation, and evaluation of employment policy and strategy;

b) the development of close relationships with employers to meet their short, medium, and long-term skill needs by providing advice and effectively handling their requests;

c) contributing to job preservation and maintaining employability;

d) implementing actions that facilitate successful professional integration;

e) ensuring health and safety in the professional environment;

f) combating fraud and abuse.

The Migration Service is responsible for

a) the implementation of asylum policy, foreign nationals’ law, and integration;

b) collaboration with the federal procedure on asylum matters and the enforcement of decisions by the State Secretariat for Migration;

c) the management of social assistance, including emergency assistance, for persons under the asylum domain, ensuring compliance with the subsidiarity principle in providing benefits;

d) the deployment of social and professional integration strategies of the canton and the Confederation for migrant populations;

e) the processing of requests for foreign labor and notifications of engaging in lucrative activities, including within the framework of posted workers;

f) imposing administrative sanctions in cases of violations committed by employers and self-employed providers;

g) handling applications for the granting, extension, and renewal of residence permits and visas, and the revocation of authorizations;

h) organizing voluntary returns and executing removals from Switzerland, as well as criminal expulsions.

1. The Service for Multicultural Cohesion is responsible for coordinating the intercultural integration policy of the Canton of Neuchâtel.

2. Its main fields of activity include

a) The development, implementation, and evaluation of intercultural integration policy and its strategy;

b) The design and implementation of the Quadrennial Cantonal Integration Program;

c) The prevention of discrimination hindering multicultural cohesion;

d) The operation of the center for consultation, mediation, translation and interpretation, training and expertise;

e) Integration inquiries for individuals applying for Swiss naturalization;

f) The operation of ESPACE centers in collaboration with the SMIG;

g) The development of links with the Interdepartmental Coordination Group, the Community for Integration and Multicultural Cohesion, and the Neuchâtel Cantonal Interfaith Dialogue Group.

1. The Social Action Service is responsible for implementing the following legislative texts

a) legislation on social action;

b) legislation concerning the harmonization and coordination of social benefits;

c) legislation on the recovery and advancement of maintenance contributions;

d) legislation on training assistance (scholarships and student loans);

e) the introductory law to the Federal Health Insurance Law;

f) legislation on combating and preventing over-indebtedness.

2. Its areas of activity notably include

a) coordination of social action within the canton;

b) prevention of the causes of indigence and social exclusion;

c) promotion of autonomy and the social and professional integration of individuals in need;

d) advising and supervising social assistance authorities.

**Service for Adult Support and Accommodation**

The service for adult support and accommodation promotes the inclusion of individuals living with disabilities, including those experiencing addiction or severe social precarity, and ensures their equal treatment in society. It is responsible for

a) implementing the action plan concerning inclusion;

b) planning, coordinating, and evolving the range of services offered to individuals living with disabilities, taking into account changes in demand and methods of care;

c) ensuring that care is adapted to the needs and aspirations of beneficiaries through an information and orientation system;

d) ensuring the quality, funding, and supervision of the service framework;

e) providing transparent and regular information to the public regarding the inclusion and support policy for individuals with disabilities.

**The Department May Establish Specific Provisions Regarding the Tasks and Internal Organization of the Services**

The department may establish specific provisions concerning the tasks and the internal organization of the services.

The Regulation on the Organization of the Department of Employment and Social Cohesion (RO-DECS), of July 5, 2021 [4], is repealed.

1. This regulation shall enter into force immediately.

2. It shall be published in the Official Gazette and inserted into the Collection of Neuchâtel Legislation.