Partnerships and contractors in the delivery of employment services and ALMPs: a literature review

A growing acceptance of partnerships between publicly funded employment services and other labour market actors in recent years has shaped both public employment service (PES) business models and international regulation. This desk-based review of partnerships in employment services and active labour market policies and programmes (ALMPs) synthesizes information available in recent literature and on selected examples of current practice about the extent to which countries foster such partnerships. It identifies some recent trends and reviews the available evidence on the effectiveness of the various partnership approaches. In the course of this endeavour, it also reviews the background and evolution of publicly funded employment services and ALMPs, identifies the current drivers of change in their design and delivery, explores the nature, benefits and challenges of partnerships, and describes the impact of different policy settings and national contexts on the design and implementation of partnership approaches.

Noting the increasing investments in partnerships, this work reveals that these mechanisms are being more frequently used to fill service gaps, maximize service linkages at local level, and enhance results through the improved application of limited resources from the public purse.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less