To meet the Walloon Government's ambition of moving towards the European target of an 80% employment rate, the Minister for Employment, Pierre-Yves Jeholet, has submitted his policy paper to swiftly reform the employment, socio-professional integration and jobseeker activation landscape.
Findings
Wallonia faces a paradoxical situation, marked by a high rate of vacant posts and an employment rate well below the European target of 80% by 2030.
This situation is explained by a large inactive population and an unmobilised labour reserve, with a high proportion of long-term unemployed (45% of unemployed jobseekers have been out of work for more than two years). Despite an annual budget of over €3 billion devoted to employment and training policies, the number of vacant posts stands at around 40,000, while the pool of unemployed jobseekers exceeds 244,000.
Youth unemployment is also a concern, with a rate of 23%. The situation of NEETs (not in employment, education or training), at a rate of 13%, places the region behind Flanders, Brussels and the European average. Added to this is a complex socio-professional integration landscape, marked by a multitude of actors operating in a fragmented and often overlapping way, making it harder to guide jobseekers.
Pierre-Yves Jeholet, Minister for Employment, notes: “Based on these findings, the question of the efficiency of the budget invested arises… Despite the introduction of numerous initiatives and schemes, no concrete solution has yet resolved the many issues raised above. There is no alternative but to bring about radical change by reforming the employment landscape in Wallonia, which is precisely what the policy paper presented to the Government addresses.”
Objectives
The approach ultimately aims for faster and sustainable activation on the labour market and proactivity expected from all stakeholders, including Forem.
One challenge, in line with the Regional Policy Statement, will be to increase jobseekers' participation in vocational training in order to raise their skill levels and promote swift, lasting integration into the labour market, while ending the entrenchment of certain groups in unemployment. They must be active, proactive players in their own labour market integration through individualised support.
Another challenge will be better coordination and effectiveness among the various stakeholders, so that every jobseeker has access to the tools needed for a swift return to the labour market.
FOREM
The decree on coaching- and solutions-oriented support, along with its implementing decrees, leaves far too wide a margin for interpretation, making its operational implementation unclear and complex. Furthermore, the multitude of IT tools, some of them outdated, and the lack of interoperability between them prevent a clear, quick view of the jobseeker's journey for all stakeholders (jobseeker, Forem staff, third-party operator, business, etc.).
That is why, through a revision of the Management Contract, which will be concluded as soon as possible and based on quantified targets and performance indicators, as well as a revision of the decree and the Government order on coaching- and solutions-oriented support, the Government commits to revising Forem's procedures and timeframes, allowing its staff to act within a more flexible and effective framework. A simplification of the organisation that should make jobseeker activation more dynamic, starting from the very first days after registration.
Forem, for its part, will need to refocus on its core missions, allowing its human resources to be reallocated to strengthen frontline staff, namely all agents in direct contact with jobseekers. It is imperative to speed up and intensify support for jobseekers while matching labour market needs with the skills of the available and mobilisable workforce.
Working method
The policy paper proposes a working method based on 6 strategic strands broken down into 13 projects:
1. Speed up and intensify support for jobseekers: Mobilise from registration onwards with regular contacts for a swift return to work.
2. Activate jobseekers at every stage of their journey: Make jobseekers accountable through intensive follow-up and active monitoring of their availability.
3. Make stakeholders accountable: Clarify each operator's role and establish accountability, both for Forem regarding referrals and for every stakeholder regarding results.
4. Respond to the needs of businesses: Structure and make training provision more flexible to address shortages and involve businesses and professional sectors in the process.
5. Equip Forem with efficient digital tools: Deploy a genuine single file and interactive tools for optimal monitoring of every jobseeker.
6. Ensure rigorous monitoring and follow-up: Set up action monitoring together with key performance indicators enabling continuous, dynamic adjustment of strategies.
“The policy paper is ambitious, the projects numerous, but the will is shared: activate jobseekers on the labour market more quickly and sustainably, effectively address the issue of shortage occupations, improve training to match business needs, and redefine the roles of the various operators for better cooperation and support of jobseekers. These measures can only be effective if a change of mindset takes place: jobseekers must be aware that they are the primary driver of their own success on the labour market,” concludes Minister Jeholet.