Future of Work – We are not facing an employment crisis but a work revolution the World Employment Confederation (International Confederation of Private Employment Services) says

The World Employment Confederation (formerly Ciett) looks into the future of work
and urges policymakers to cooperate with the employment industry to determine enhanced international labour regulation

As the world of work becomes increasingly flat and interconnected, new global labour policies and regulation are required to deal with issues that go beyond national or regional borders. The World Employment Confederation sees this as essential to embrace the many structural shifts that are currently taking place around the world. Globalisation, growing diversity of contractual arrangements, new job and career expectations, digitalisation and demographics are all major drivers reshaping the way we work today.
As a consequence, the World Employment Confederation calls on global policymakers to cooperate with the employment industry and all other relevant stakeholders to adjust international labour regulation and seize the opportunities the new era of work will bring. While almost 200 million people are unemployed at a global level , 61% of companies around the world experience difficulty recruiting staff, mostly due to shortages of skilled staff. This issue is key as 72% of HR professionals say that talent scarcity has negatively affected their business and 45% believe it has threatened leadership continuity and succession. Adopting appropriate regulation will contribute to reduce the mismatch between supply and demand of work and will lead to better functioning labour markets.

“We are not facing an employment crisis but a work revolution in which intertwined labour markets require more supra-national regulation while respecting national differences”, states Denis Pennel, Managing Director of the World Employment Confederation. “The creation of global employment policies and instruments that can be implemented, regulated and enforced will be crucial to a sustainable future of work. This should be based on transparent, fair and sensible principles that reward risk-taking and innovation. International policymakers will have to play a greater role in setting guiding principles and rules in the future.”

In a white paper released on the “Future of Work”, the World Employment Confederation analyses in detail how employment conditions are changing around the world and provide a number of policy recommendations on how to adapt accordingly.

“This is the end of work as we knew it! In this complex economic environment, regulation on employment matters should adopt a “glocal” approach, thinking globally about overall guidelines and provisions that can be transposed into national regulations with some flexibility. Policymakers should create easy-to-understand, employment-friendly labour laws facilitating cross-border expansion of businesses”, adds Annemarie Muntz, President of the World Employment Confederation. Research conducted by the World Employment Confederation shows that countries that have adopted smart regulation for the employment sector are more competitive delivering flexibility and security for both companies and workers.

“We are experiencing a new reality of work and our industry is at the core of this change, playing an important role as labour market enablers and allowing for improved access to work and prosperity. It is vital that we act alongside policymakers to maximise the many opportunities we are being presented with under the right economic and social conditions”, comments Vice-President of the World Employment Confederation, Hans Leentjes.

As reflected in the white paper, the employment industry is key to providing a wide range of services to meet candidates’ individual expectations and working conditions – the one-size-fits-all approach does not work anymore. Equally important, the industry offers the business community sustainable solutions to more efficiently contract and allocate labour.

“Faced with new challenges, our industry has evolved from providing candidates and filling job vacancies to creating innovative workforce solutions and shaping careers. With IT becoming a key component of employment services, the industry is moving towards more tailored-made, output based and talent oriented solutions” concludes World Employment Confederation president Annemarie Muntz.

After almost 50 years of history, Ciett, the International Confederation of Private Employment Services, is also presenting its new name and brand. The World Employment Confederation will continue to be the global voice of the employment industry and to advocate for better functioning labour markets.

“Our new name better reflects the evolution of our membership, including national federations and companies on all continents, as well as our thought leadership when it comes to the world of work. Today, our members provide a broad range of HR services including agency work, direct recruitment, career management, recruitment process outsourcing and managed services in order to simplify the increasing complexity of the labour market” explains Denis Pennel.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at  Press Releases – Changing world of work – World Employment Confederation.