Three recent PES Network reports give an excellent overview of recent challenges, achievements and future priorities of the PES Network and its member Public Employment Services across Europe.

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“2020 has been a challenging year, and one in which the PES Network has shown its strengths and fortitude… The PES have a key role to play in cushioning the employment impacts of the crisis. These challenges are unprecedented, but the PES are proving their readiness to meet them.” Johannes Kopf (AT), Chair of the PES Network.

The PES Network Work Programme 2021 sets out the key activities of the Network’s ‘benchlearning’ cycle this year. Qualitative benchmarking assessments will continue online after being successfully piloted in 2020 and will additionally cover ‘risk and crisis management’. Meanwhile, mutual learning activities will have a particular focus on the post-Covid recovery and the future of work.

Specific sub-topics of mutual learning activities in 2021 include:

• PES service delivery in the wake of the crisis;
• The green deal and its impact on the labour market;
• Youth employment support; and
• Support to vulnerable groups (active labour market policies), anti-discrimination and gender equality

These plans build on the experiences and lessons of the past year, as set out in the PES Network Annual Report 2020. This detailed report presents the considerable efforts of the PES Network to move activities online and ensure that PES Network exchanges continued at pace despite COVID-19.

Finally, the PES Network Assessment Report on PES Capacity 2020 outlines the main trends in the development of Public Employment Services in 2020, based on replies to the annual PES Capacity survey. Whilst the report highlights that COVID-19 affected all areas of PES work, key topics for PES in 2020 included: the long-term unemployed, vulnerable groups and prevention of unemployment.

Interested to follow the PES Network’s progress on these key topics in 2021? Sign up to receive the PES Network newsletter published three times a year!