Abstract

The goal of this short essay is to illustrate the difficult development of methods of collaboration between public employment services and private temporary work agencies in a context of weak labour policies, as in the Italian case. The insights on which the paper focuses have emerged starting from a case study analysis concerning an activation program implemented at local level in a metropolitan area of northern Italy. In particular the design of this program requires that public employment services (Centri per l'Impiego) and some temporary work agencies should collaborate in the selection of program's users. The case shows some of typical level of criticality in the implementation of Active Labour Market Policies: some of these problems are linked to the specific program design, while others are linked to the weaknesses both of public services and private agencies. The analysis was conducted through qualitative research techniques, in particular in-depth interviews to the managers, workers and stakeholders belonging to the main organizations involved in the program.