The essay examines the relationship between cities and labour in light of the most recent transformations of local labour markets, pointing out the significant shift of employment from industry to services and a particular expansion of the tourism sector, where working conditions show a number of critical issues. These trends interrogate both labour law and local administrators, in this case municipalities, who can exercise regulatory prerogatives over public spaces and public services timetables to influence working conditions in the urban context. Two Municipal Regulations on public spaces concessions, adopted in 2019 in Naples and Bologna, are examples of this possibility, which, however, to be effective, request additional tools such as effective monitoring systems; an articulation of economic benefits conditional on specific labour protection standards; and quality marks and certifications.