Public Employment Services and Their Influence on Those Who Search for and Find Work

The study illuminates the role of the public employment service and its advisory and placing performance for those who seek work. A comparison with Germany, Switzerland, the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia shows that Austria, in its active labour market policy, did not emulate the general trend towards shorter and relatively cheaper placing measures, but continues to emphasise education and skilling measures. Moreover, substantial differences in the placing practice could be found between the Austrian public employment service AMS and its equivalents in other countries. According to a detailed investigation for the Austrian labour market, the AMS is a key factor in the unemployed's job seeking process, significantly affecting the intensity of their search effort and their success.