The European Network of Public Employment Services (PES Network) has today launched an updated Network strategy, focusing on the evolving challenges of a labour market characterised by “accelerated change and increased flexibility”. The strategy aims to help the Network continue its great success so far in supporting PES to respond to complex labour market needs.

© Bernard Coubeaux/European Union

The Board of the PES Network approved the new and updated PES Network Strategy (also available in French and German) on 25 June 2021, stating: “We firmly believe that there are real opportunities for national PES to benefit from the knowledge exchange, mutual learning and policy expertise provided by the European PES Network. We look forward to delivering on this Strategy in the years ahead and invite you to join us on this journey.”

The Strategy recognises that labour markets are experiencing “a shift away from traditional unemployment-employment divisions” towards a reality that is increasingly characterised by more frequent labour market transitions for citizens throughout their working lives.

In that context, the PES Network strategy sets out a reinforced mission for its key benchlearning (benchmarking + mutual learning) activities. It aims to strengthen and encourage cooperation between PES in order to “promote modernisation of individual PES, encourage optimum use of technology and data, and facilitate enhanced competencies for staff”.

Key messages of the Strategy for the future work of the Network include the importance of:

• supporting PES to acquire more knowledge on the implications of labour market changes for the needs of their increasingly diverse customer base;
• promoting partnership-based approaches to addressing the complex needs of clients;
• encouraging innovation and the exchange of good practice in PES service delivery, including through the PES Practices database;
• setting and reviewing standards for service delivery;
• contributing to the achievement of Europe’s employment goals, (as well as the European Green Deal and UN Sustainable Development Goals); and
• providing evidence to support policy design, including through outputs made available in the PES Network Knowledge Centre.

The renewal of the Network strategy follows the important November 2020 Decision of the European institutions to extend the PES Network mandate until 2027 – a Decision which confirmed the importance of the Network’s ongoing collective efforts.