Greece, Ireland and Portugal, on the periphery of Europe, are still influenced by a history of migration from agriculture to urban areas and to other countries, and have all received extensive assistance from the European Union's Structural Funds.Which of these countries' varied, often innovative, strategies in relation to unemployment benefits, hiring subsidies and job creation measures, have been most effective? Employment services have taken on particular responsibility for training, but does this help the long-term unemployed? With a legacy of older workers who left school early, and continuing high levels of self-employment, how can placement performance be improved? This publication examines how the Public Employment Service can actively promote and manage transitions out of unemployment into market work, both directly and via labour market programmes.