Abstract
This paper was prepared by the ILO as part of a global study to look at the emergence of partnerships between public employment services and other providers seeking to promote access to employment. Across the world, such partnerships are becoming instrumental in delivering these services and active labour market programmes (ALMPs) to help employers and job-seekers adapt to change, and to cope with labour market transitions in increasingly complex labour markets. This paper explores the mechanisms and preconditions that are contributing to these emerging partnerships to keep employment situation stable in China.The paper also presents three case studies which cast light on the key factors that prompt the formation of partnerships and the ways in which the challenges of working with external providers have been addressed. The analysis also aims to establish whether there are transferable lessons which could be replicated by other provinces with similar economic conditions and recruitment challenges.This paper intends to help employment services to explore new approaches to service delivery to meet increasing demand. Partnerships should not be a substitute for the proper funding of public employment services. On the contrary: collaborative partnerships offer the possibility of combining the experience, knowledge, and resources of a variety of actors in implementing solutions that respond to local needs.