The main objective of the article is to provide an investigation into the concept of the local labour markets under different theoretical perspectives. A better understanding of the concept and functions of local labour markets is achieved through a brief analysis first, of space, as a key dimension and the interrelations of spatial and social structures and second, of the notion of localities. In this way, a critical examination of local labour markets is attempted under neoclassical and alternative labour market theories (dual, segmented and discontinuous). From this analysis, the main problems of local labour markets, as a theoretical concept and as an analytical framework, are identified.
