Monopoly or coexistence

Abstract

"Among the European employment placement service there are marked differences in organization an legal basis. Between the two extremes of a relatively strict monopoly of public placement and the independent coexistence of public and private agencies a great number of variations exists. Despite these differences there is an obvious trend in Europe to deregulate job placement, i.e. to admit private placement agencies. This tendency is further strengthened by the efforts for harmonization ensuing from European integration. International comparison shows that both employers and workers mostly look for employees or jobs by themselves, independent of the way job placements is organized. The results caution against expectations that the structural and placement problems apparent on the labour market might be drastically reduced or even solved, simply by admitting more private placement agencies. The problems preventing a balance on the labour market do not so much exist in those sections that are potential markets for private placement agencies, but rather in those in which workers must be placed and jobs filled that 'fell through' the mesh of the market. On the other hand the controversial debate about the liberalization of placement looses some of its edge by finding that, as is the case of the UK, public and private placement services complement rather than compete with each other." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Walwei, U. (1994): Monopoly or coexistence. An international comparison of job placement. In: IAB Labour Market Research Topics No. 5, p. 1-23.