Cooperation Model of Public Employment Services and Private Stakeholders: Evidence from Poland

In the era of aging of European society, there is a need to rationalize public expenditures. As a result, it is crucial to increase the efficiency of public policy. It significantly refers to labor market policy, as on the one hand, it is responsible for activation of the unemployed, passive resources, increasing employability and optimal usage of labor supply. On the other hand, public entities conducting labor market policy (mainly public employment services—hereafter PES) are obliged to efficient management of public funds. The effectiveness of PES is strongly determined by the engagement of employers in realization of labor market instruments. Cooperation of PES with relevant stakeholders is needed to build up alliances for active policy. There are different models of such cooperation, with variant levels of partnership, communication channels, and mutual services. The main objective of the article is to determine the perspective cooperation model of PES and private companies in Poland. The quantitative study was realized among large companies in Podlaskie province. It is one of the Polish peripheral regions characterized by lower than average labor demand, lower purchasing power, and higher unemployment rate.