"The concept of flexicurity has been the subject of debates on social and labour market policy for more than a decade. However, instruments for the practical implementation of the concept are still rare, and mainly small and medium-sized companies face the problem of how to cope with challenges of cyclical downturns, demographic change and skilled labour shortage. This article analyses two rather new personnel management instruments - so-called "employer alliances" and temporary work based on collective agreements. The authors seek to determine how far those instruments are capable of combining flexibility and security/stability. The article gives a short overview of structure and the utilization of both instruments, contrasting them with conventional temporary agency work, and then provides two in-depth case studies. On this basis the strengths, weaknesses and preconditions of the new instruments can be highlighted."

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