Maintaining employment, upgrading work skills, and enhancing labour market access offers short & long term solutions through Agency work.

Shared commitment in Europe will see the Agency work industry providing an important contribution, based on its positive contribution to improved functioning labour markets. As well as the Agency work industry, other sectors in the labour market such as social partners, public employment services, private companies and policy makers, will share the load. The most important dimensions of this shared commitment are recognized as:

1. Agency work being seen as a key driver of job creation which promotes work mobility, including geographical, occupational and social mobility.
2. Workers employability is enhanced through upgrading of skills and allowing access to professional experience and vocational training.
3. Young people and previously unemployed people have a broadened access to the labour market through an introduction to Agency work.

 In order to meet the specific needs of the nation, employment and labour policies need to be implemented at national and local levels, through maintaining employment, creating new jobs, and promoting mobility.

The flexible layer that Agency work provides to the labour market helps preserve permanent jobs in times of economic crisis. It enhances competitiveness and the need for private companies to be more adaptable. As we all know, we are currently living through one of the worst economic cycles we have known, and still Agency work continues to create more jobs, that would not otherwise exist.

EU labour markets have witnessed an overall decrease in the number of Agency workers, but from those that are employed, 80% of the jobs would not have been created at all if Agency work had not been available as a flexible workforce solution. It (Agency work) is a dynamic player in the labour market, which continues to place thousands of workers into new work opportunities. Today we see that there are 9 million Agency workers, which converts to 3 million full time equivalent positions. With more than 33,000 private employment agencies and 58,000 branches across Europe, Agency work companies are well placed to drive and support workers in this sector.

A worker’s employability is enhanced through Agency work, allowing them to better resist any economic crisis. Workers can gain professional experience in various working environments, develop their skills, and strengthen their ability to adapt and work as part of a team. At the same time there is a commitment by the Agency work industry, to facilitate access to vocational training. Over the past year the industry has established sector-level training funds in an ever increasing number of countries. A total amount of more than £500 million has been invested in training, in only 6 European countries. These funds have successfully trained more than 643,000 Agency workers through the implementation of relevant training programs. This year another fund is to be established in Luxembourg.

Skills development and enhancement requires action, both in short term and long term perspective, in order to unlock the positive contribution of the private employment agency industry.