Employment services



Employment services promote an efficient development, integration and use of the labour force. Due to the challenges of today’s labour markets, they are grappling with an ever more complex range of issues—from chronic unemployment or under employment to demographic shifts and the impact of digital and technological evolution.
Public employment services are one of the major conduits for implementing employment and labour market policies. Now, more than ever, stronger employment services play an increasingly important role in job matching, enhancing employability, addressing skill mismatches and linking support directly to employers and workers through operating various active labour market programmes.
The emergence of private employment services, where appropriately regulated, offers opportunities for cooperation in service delivery and to increase outreach to diverse groups in the labour market. Collaboration is also established with not-for profit and non-governmental institutions to expand coverage and provide additional services to specific target groups.
Public employment services are one of the major conduits for implementing employment and labour market policies. Now, more than ever, stronger employment services play an increasingly important role in job matching, enhancing employability, addressing skill mismatches and linking support directly to employers and workers through operating various active labour market programmes.
The emergence of private employment services, where appropriately regulated, offers opportunities for cooperation in service delivery and to increase outreach to diverse groups in the labour market. Collaboration is also established with not-for profit and non-governmental institutions to expand coverage and provide additional services to specific target groups.
The ILO Employment Policy Department offers support to its constituents to:
- Modernize national employment services and adapt provision to the different phases of the economic cycle
- Improve responsiveness of national employment services to serve jobseekers and employers with different needs
- Implement effective labour market programmes adapted to the specific characteristics of regional and local labour markets
- Promote appropriate regulation and bolster cooperation between public employment services and private employment agencies