Topics

Social Innovation

To address the challenges that the structural shifts currently reshaping the world of work are creating, labour markets need to evolve to ensure that they remain open, inclusive and sustainable.

As labour markets enablers, the World Employment Confederation-Europe and its members believe that they have a leadership role to play in building such future proof labour markets.

The private employment industry believes in “social innovation” as the way forward. Social innovation is defined as the implementation of new solutions for working, learning and social protection for the benefit of workers, employers and society in general. The World Employment Confederation’s Members have developed a map detailing the goals and conditions of social innovation, suggesting some examples of potential actions, identifying which stakeholders our industry should work with as well as outlining the benefits and risks for our sector.

Furthermore, the World Employment Confederation adopted a Manifesto entitled “No Future of Work without Social Innovation”, developing five sets of recommendations and clear calls for action:

Access for all

Fair job for all

Towards a new Social Deal

Skills for jobs

Responsible intermediation

Joint recommendations by EU Sectoral Social Partners for agency work to foster social innovation

The World Employment Confederation-Europe and UNI-Europa, the EU Social Partners for the temporary agency work sector, put forward joint recommendations to foster social innovation – especially in the areas of training, working conditions and social protection.

The recommendations are informed by the findings of a research project commissioned as part of the EU Sectoral Social Dialogue for temporary agency work. In a two-year project the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) and the Catholic University of Leuven/HIVA have studied 15 cases of social innovation practices implemented in the temporary agency work sector in the areas of training, working conditions and social protection. The research team drew lessons learned, success factors and drivers for scalability and replicability of such practices.

Social Justice for All. How the Private Employment Services Industry Contributes to Reducing Inequalities in the World of Work

With climate change, demographic changes, technological development and – more generally – globalisation, the world of work is changing at an unprecedented pace and scale. While these changes have brought significant new opportunities, they have also led to inequality and risks of exclusion, threatening social cohesion, economic growth and human progress. As a result, the notion of “social justice” has become increasingly prominent in employment and labour market debates at global level. It has been an important theme on the agenda of the International Labour Organisation during 2023, with the creation of a Global Coalition for Social Justice.

The World Employment Confederation fully supports this initiative as it aligns with its vision of social innovation. A strategic issue paper details how the private employment services industry is already contributing to reducing inequalities in the world of work and how it can help advance social justice.

Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons-40 Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icons Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Icon Asset 5 Asset 6 Asset 1 Icons_FINAL