World employment confederation calls on governments and social partners to nurture agile job markets and set the framework for a new social deal

Paris, 26^th September 2017 – Members of the World Employment Confederation gather in Paris this week for their annual conference and will explore the impact of the digital revolution on jobs markets. In its 50^th anniversary year, the World Employment Confederation publishes a Manifesto calling on governments, social partners and educators to work in partnership to build open, inclusive and sustainable labour markets that create decent work.

“The world of work is changing fast. The challenge is to ensure that the policies on employment, skills and education keep pace with the velocity of change” says Annemarie Muntz, President of the World Employment Confederation. “We want to work in partnership with all actors to develop an agile jobs market that enables individuals and businesses to grow. We need to prepare the workforce for the jobs of the future and provide them with security in a context of intense career mobility and transitions.”

The World Employment Conference takes “Labour market dynamics in the digital age” as its theme.  Keynote speakers including Muriel Pénicaud (French Minister of Labour), Guy Ryder (Director General of the International Labour Organisation) and Stefano Scarpetta (Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs at the OECD) will join over 400 participants from 40 countries exploring the impact of digital on labour markets. Discussions will also be fed with the CEOs of the largest global HR service companies such as The Adecco Group, ManpowerGroup, Randstad and Gi Group, together with digital champions, trade unionists, labour market experts and a representation of the future generation of workers.

“An efficient labour market is a prerequisite for economic growth and competitiveness. Countries with forward-thinking labour policies and better-functioning jobs markets will be more resilient and likely to prosper” says Denis Pennel, Managing Director of the World Employment Confederation. “Part of the solution is to nurture the biodiversity of those jobs markets, promoting diverse forms of work that drive inclusiveness and productivity”.

The World Employment Conference represents an unparalleled platform for assessing ever-evolving labour markets. Aside from the challenge of the digital age the conference will also hold a series of masterclasses and debates addressing other burning issues facing employment markets around the world: Labour migration and the need to promote fair practices; the opportunities that digitalization affords in developing more inclusive labour markets and the EU posting of workers directive and how to avoid social dumping.

The World Employment Confederation conference takes place from 28-29 September at the Novotel hotel, 61 Quai de Grenelle, 15^th arrondissement, Paris.  For full details of the programme and the list of speakers please see here.

For further information please contact:

Sotiris Gassialis on:  +32 2 421 15 87 / +32 494 13 56 78   Sotiris.Gassialis@wecglobal.org

About the World Employment Confederation

The World Employment Confederation is the voice of the employment industry at the global level, uniting labour market enablers from 50 countries and 8 of the largest international workforce solutions and brings access to and engagement with international policymakers (ILO, OECD, World Bank, IMF, IOM, EU) and stakeholders (IOE, trade unions, academic world, think tanks, NGOs).

The World Employment Confederation strives for recognition of the economic and social role played by the employment industry in enabling work, adaptation, security and prosperity in our societies. In a fast changing world of work, the enabling functions provided by the employment industry is more important than ever. Thanks to its network of 169 000 employment agencies and 1.5 million HR specialists, the employment industry has been shaping the world of work since 1967.