On 8 November 2018, the European Network of Public Employment Services organised a Stakeholder Conference on the ‘Future of work’ in Brussels to discuss how PES and their partners can respond to changing labour markets.

The event brought together around 120 representatives from Public Employment Services (PES) across Europe, as well as European institutions and international organisations, education and training providers, social partners, employer associations, private employment services, research and representatives of health and social services.

The conference, part of a wider set of activities of the PES Network on the ‘Future of work’, aimed to discuss further ways of collaboration between PES and their partner organisations in order to address future labour market changes.

New forms of work, job polarisation and advanced technological innovation require that PES, together with their partners, understand upcoming change and develop responses for their customers. Approaches and practice examples shared at the conference included:

• better and new ways to operationalise collaboration
• making better use of data and labour market intelligence
• the further development of digital services whilst offering personal support to people most in need
• and the creation of spaces and awareness to support people to manage various career transitions in their life.

PES and their partners also discussed necessary organisational change, highlighting approaches that promote agility, innovation, experimentation and co-creation with PES customers and staff.

Concluding the conference, Fons Leroy, Chair of the PES Network, underlined the necessity for PES and partners to address upcoming digital and global changes rapidly, but also in a sustainable approach. In this context, dialogue and cooperation with partners, customers and between PES across countries is essential to learn and to adopt. As a next step, a European ‘PES Innovation Lab’, can be a way forward towards intensified exchange and the dissemination of approaches that PES need to enable smooth, sustainable and inclusive transitions on future labour markets.

The summary report of the conference will be available on the PES Knowledge Centre.

Please see further information on the European Network of Public Employment Services on PES Practices.