The Spanish Ministry of Work and Employment has authorised for the first time the collaboration of around 50 employment agencies with public employment services, reports business paper Cinco Días.

The parties are currently in negotiation with the employment services of each Spanish region, following a law approved 31 December, 2010.

Private employers would work in the same way as public employment services, putting candidates in touch with potential employers for free, according to Cinco Días, adding that a prerequisite for gaining funding for such work is that the agency has an IT system compatible with that used by public services.

Employment agencies authorised in the deal include multi-nationals, multi-sector recruiters such as Manpower and Randstad, but temporary employment agencies are not eligible to join in such collaborations.