Proponents of big business involvement in local job creation projects in partnership with the public sector have been keen to claim the success of such collaboration. However, there has been little objective analysis of the workings of the local partnership model. This study provides a critical analysis of local partnerships betwen the private and public sectors in response to the unemployment problem. Including local case studies, it both assesses local factors and provides a wider political and economic context. It should be of interest to academics and professionals interested in unemployment, unemployment policy and its management.