Greater co-operation is needed between private and public employment services, according to Eurociett, the representative body for the Private Employment Agency industry (PrEA) in Europe.

At the European Commission’s ‘Labour market institutions in times of crisis: challenges and experiences’ event, Eurociett urged private and public employment services to form new partnerships at national and local level to co-ordinate public employment services and private recruiters’ complementary strengths and expertise to address the current economic crisis.

Annemarie Muntz, president of Eurociett, said: “The PrEA industry is ideally positioned to support public employment agencies in implementing active labour market policies. Private employment agencies increase transparency in the labour market by acting as an economic indicator and carrying out regular research into labour market trends.”