The implementation of Positive Action from Social Code Book IX can best be understood by considering the implementation of the employment obligation.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, at the end of 2015 a total of 7.6 million people with a severe disability within the meaning of SGB IX were living in Germany, which is about 9.3% of the population.

The SGB IX aims to ensure that 5% of all jobs are held by people with severe disabilities. The employment statistics of the Federal Employment and Social Affairs Agency from 2015 show that a total of 4.7% of all jobs (of the obligated employers with more than 20 jobs) are filled by people with severe disabilities. At 6.6%, the proportion in the public sector was higher than in the private sector (4.1%). 

In 2010, 4.5 % of all jobs were occupied by people with disabilities. In 2003, in the first survey after the SGB IX, the figure was only 4 %. As such, the overall trend is positive.