Over the past decades, public procurement has gained importance as a policy tool, also in the context of labour market and employment policies. Among others, public procurement is used as a lever to shape wages and working conditions, foster equality, and create jobs and training opportunities.

Focussing on the act of buying, from the initial identification of an object of purchase to conditions placed on the provider, in this article, Dr E.K. Sarter examines and systematises the multi-faceted linkages between public procurement and labour market inequalities.