In our ageing society, older workers have an increasingly important role to play in tackling Europe’s demographic challenge. This topic was one highlight on the agenda of the PES Network’s latest board meeting on 6-7 June 2019 in Bucharest. The other highlight was the election of Johannes Kopf as the new Chair of the PES Network.

The PES Network Board meets twice a year to discuss and take strategic decisions on the activities of the Network. This time, following the departure of Fons Leroy, a new Chair of the PES Network, Johannes Kopf, was elected.

Content-wise, a particular focus was dedicated to challenging trends affecting public employment services: Europe’s ageing population and skills shortages. The workforce is becoming more and more dependent on its older workers, and public policy has shifted from supporting early exit to extending working lives.

The key messages from the board meeting on this issue are that:

• Prevention is key to avoid older people from becoming unemployed;
• Employers have a crucial role in upskilling their workforce and adapting working conditions to allow older workers to stay;
• PES should provide support to employers in this regard.

This topic is also the subject of a study report which will be published on the PES Network Knowledge Centre, and ties into the issues addressed by this year’s annual stakeholders’ conference.