The World Employment Confederation (WEC) presented a report showcasing how public and private employment services (respectively PES and PrES) across the world work together. With increasing urgency on supporting more labour market transitions, people and business need state-of-the-art labour employment services. The WEC Report “Collaboration between public and private employment services” showcases in which ways labour market professionals, career guides and recruiters from both the public and private sector work together to that end.

The survey questioned members of WEC on the existence of collaboration. The results show that in 85% of the countries surveyed there is some form of collaboration. Yet, there are vast differences on the maturity of this collaboration. In most countries there is operational collaboration on the organisation of job-fairs, employer speed-dates and other job seeking activities etc. While in a smaller number of countries, representatives from private employment services are represented in PES governance and the provision of employment services are outsourced to private providers. In this latter respect (outsourcing of employment services), challenges remain to promote these tenders are interesting for businesses.

The respondents were asked what the main opportunities and challenges are to increasing the collaboration. Key opportunities identified are an increase of labour market functioning and better access to talent. The main challenges lie in increasing the unawareness on this type of partnerships and the possible misperceptions of public and private employment services respectively.

The relevance of this collaboration is underscored by the ILO Centenary Declaration, ILO Convention No. 181 and Recommendations No. 204 and No. 188. Indeed, they all identify the need for the provision of quality (public and private) employment services to support people gain meaningful and sustainable access to the labour market. Ever more often this support will need to be provided mid-career as digitalisation and other economic trends increase the need for transition and skilling. Last but not least, the provision of quality labour market support – as is identified in ILO recommendation No. 204 on the transition from the informal to the formal economy – is of crucial importance to shape a gateway to formal employment. Still for these collaborations to develop and mature and provide their added value for labour markets, a quality regulatory framework and business-case needs to be in place for private employment services such as recruitment, agency work and career guidance to develop and support national active labour market policies.