ABSTRACT
This chapter concentrates in particular on the New Deal for Young People which, as the largest and longest-standing of the New Deals, has to date been subject to more evaluation than the others. It examines the situation with regard to flex work in the Netherlands. The chapter describes the Flexcurity Act and the first effects it has had on temporary workers, employers and temporary work agencies. It discusses the problem of unemployment traps, which is only one facet—albeit very important—of the plight of the less skilled. The chapter introduces the Back to Work Allowance Scheme (BTWAS) and sets the context in which the Back to Work Allowance Scheme was seen as a solution to some of the unemployment problems of the time. It focuses on some policy measures implemented in four countries outside the European Union.
