Thousands complain about unscrupulous job recruiters

A hotline set up by the Social Affairs Inspectorate to weed out unethical and unlawful employment agencies has received more than two thousand reports since its establishment in early 2012. This is according to figures that LocalFocus got from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment through the Open Government Act, AD reports. A total of 89 agencies were found to be violating some form of labor law, mostly to do with minimum wage legislation and the Migrant Act. With such violations, the Social Affairs Inspectorate can issue a fine and close the company for up to three months. Another 28 employment agencies were reported to the Inspectorate. In such cases, a criminal investigation is launched to determine whether there is any form of labor exploitation. The Social Affairs and Employment Inspectorate set up their Fraudulent Employment Agencies Reporting Center specifically to combat "exploitation, underpayment and unfair competition," the investigative team states on their website. They also investigate cases involving "contracting firms, intermediaries, recruiters, managers or companies that provide personnel who work for other companies."