Targeting on Transitions : Employment Services in the Netherlands

This article provides insight into the shifts and the reorganization of the Dutch regulatory framework of employment services in a bid to promote dynamism in the labor market. The targeting of employment services toward transitions has brought about changes in the regulations for employment agencies and in the rights of their employees. Section II sketches the background and run-up to this process of transformation for employment services like temporary agency work and (public) job placement services. Section III examines the current regulatory framework. The section also touches upon the impact of the regulatory framework on the market for labor market intermediaries and on the chances to reintegrate into the labor market, and contains a report of views held by various actors in the field. Finally, section IV puts forward some conclusions by the author regarding the pioneer role of the Dutch in easing labor market transitions by re-regulating employment services