The Labour Exchanges Act 1909 was an Act of Parliament which saw the state-funded creation of labour exchanges. The stated purpose was to help the unemployed find employment. Prior to the creation of these government-funded labour exchanges, workers would have to search for jobs themselves; the first labour exchange was established by social reformer and employment campaigner Alsager Hay Hill in London in 1871. The law was opposed by some trade unions that feared their bargaining power would be reduced by the law and make it easier to recruit cheap labour from distant parts of the country.