From workers’ victories to closures of steel factories, from reconversion policies and nomadic business set-ups to the development of cross-border work to Luxembourg, the Longwy basin is a unique place for analyzing changes in employment intermediation. Grounded research conducted for over forty years highlights the decisive role of employers, which has nevertheless shifted from the company to the labor market. More or less homogeneous, complementary, or coordinated, composed of companies, employment intermediaries, and training organizations, “a local employer” allocates resource rights based on increasingly individualized local judgments. Their configurations contribute to the transition from “conquered” local employment linked to wage solidarity, to “granted” local employment where the definition and recognition of qualifications, local careers, and local trade-union action are at stake.