The role of the private employment agencies in the making of employability in Turkey

Abstract

This dissertation argues that private employment agencies have contributed to the individualization of employment with norms they have created through their practices. Employability is considered to be a panacea for unemploy-ment, and social skills have become central for employment in the context that private employment agencies have appeared. The cooperation of private employment agencies with institutions, the tools used, and the judgments made regarding employment by the agencies are examined in this scope. Private employment agencies participate in a redefinition of the unem-ployed and the unemployable that holds employees responsible for their un-employment. A measurement of the behavioral characteristics of job seekers provided by private employment agencies determines who to exclude from the labor market affecting the job seeking strategies of employees. Private employ-ment agencies determine the position of a candidate in the labor market, con-tribute to the management of employment as an individual matter of workers, and create norms for employee character formation. The dissertation aims to contribute to critical management studies in Tur-key.