as well as due to the lack of efficient state policies over the labour market and
employment sector. It is especially manifested through the problems such as creation
of decent workplaces, reduction of ‘shadow’ employment and payment of wages,
informal and non-standard employment, and improper and untimely response to new
challenges emerging at the labour market with regard to greater globalization.
Very little is known about actual practices of private employment agencies in
Ukraine. Their services are not frequently used by unemployed workers seeking a job.
The most popular job search methods in Ukraine involve public employment service.
While the average Ukrainian agency has typically started operating in the period
2005–2009, there is a whole variety of firms in this sector. On the other side, a licensed
private employment agency is predominantly small and owned by a Ukrainian private
entrepreneur. The sector of licensed private employment agencies consists of two
distinguished subsectors. Almost half of firms recruit mariners and slightly less than –
recruit for international companies (migration). This dichotomy is observed in many
aspects of actual operations. Firms use their existing database to build up a pool of
potential candidates and mostly recruit mariners (71 percent) [19]. Agencies that prefer
to proceed on an ad-hoc basis are more likely to recruit migrants. Companies in the
first group advertise in the media significantly less often when compared to agencies
from the second group.
All categories of private employment agencies offering different types of job
placement services have in common placement as their main activity. Despite
differentiations in their functioning and modes of operation, private employment
agencies could be defined generally as service enterprises under private law carrying
out, under contract, and in exchange for financial compensation, operations on behalf
of individuals (or enterprises) whose aim is to ease or speed up access to employment
or career progression by filling a vacancy.
Employment through private agencies should respect the international and
national principles of non-discrimination on all issues linked to working conditions.
Temporary employment supposes a tripartite relation between the
temporary employment agency, the employee and the user company (secondary
employer). There is considered to be no employment relationship between the
temporary agency employee and the user company. In the best case scenario, the
tripartite relation implies two separate agreements, one between the agency and worker
and another – between the agency and the user company. Relationships between the
agency and the secondary employer are regulated by Civil law, whereas relationships
between the agency and worker – by Labour Law.
It must be remembered that, the percentage of employees who held a temporary
job because they could not find a permanent job.
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