Taking Our ‘Way to Work’ onto the Streets

As global attention intensifies on the rising tide of unemployment – and above all on youth unemployment – Adecco, the world’s leading provider of HR solutions, took decisive action. On April 30, 2013, more than 10,000 employees in 50 countries mobilized and offered their expertise as part of the multifaceted Adecco Way to Work™ program. It is designed to provide practical and inspirational support to a generation at risk of exclusion from the world of work. Street Days, an online career center, coaching events, and an innovative work experience contest reached more than 500,000 young people.

According to the International Labour Organization, some 74.5 million of the almost 202 million unemployed in 2013 were young people aged between 15 and 24. That is almost one million more than in the previous year. There is a growing consensus that the causes go beyond the economic crisis and are due in part to a skills mismatch – hard and soft skills of young people are not attuned to the demands of the new global knowledge economy. Adecco research suggests that 54 percent of unemployed young people feel they need more support and help in their efforts to find a job.

Launching the initiative, Adecco Group CEO Patrick De Maeseneire said: “We believe the current youth unemployment situation is economically and morally unacceptable. Through the Adecco Way to Work™ program, we want to make Adecco’s leading recruitment expertise more accessible to young job seekers and provide real-life insights into the world of work and its requirements. We must help unlock their potential and give them a perspective. We cannot risk losing a whole generation.”

The centerpiece of the Adecco Way to Work™ program was the Street Day on April 30, 2013. Adecco employees were involved in more than 1,000 activities in high-traffic public areas and visited schools and universities. In addition, more than 2,000 branches opened their doors to offer career advice. In total, more than 20,000 coaching sessions were held and the Adecco Way to Work™ website registered a million visitors to its coaching resources.

The synergistic approach made a big impact, exemplified by the reaction of Adecco Greece’s Country Manager, Konstantinos Milonas: “In Adecco Greece we opened our branches and approached our candidates to help them make their next career steps successful in any way we can. We have the know-how and want to offer it to all these young people who are trying to start up their careers. The labor market in Greece is currently one of the toughest and people looking for a job really need to acquire skills to become competitive in this environment. We are honored to have the opportunity to lend a hand.”

The long-term value of such actions has reverberated to local and national business communities. For example, in Australia, the New South Wales Business Chamber CEO, Stephen Cartwright, remarked: “Too little is being done to support students entering the workforce. It is well known that prolonged disengagement from the labor market at an early age has very negative consequences for individuals through the course of their working lives.” 

The Street Day is a symbolic act that can only inspire concerted action from governments, businesses, and individuals alike. More flexible labor markets, reform of education systems, and young people’s willingness to accept temporary job assignments or job opportunities abroad are essential requisites to overcome the current job crisis.

Although nothing beats face-to-face advice, online access and support to the digital generation has been available through the Adecco Way to Work™ online ‘Career Center’ and its Facebook pages. These resources are visited by thousands of young job seekers, eager to learn how to improve their employability.It is a one-stop-shop that includes: tips and tools for a compelling CV and how to use it as a marketing tool; how to write cover letters or e-mails; job interview preparation; as well as advice on how to create a professional social media profile. The resources are accessible in various languages and adapted to the varying requirements in different countries that job markets demand from applicants.

Dreams are what futures are made of. As part of the Adecco Way to Work™ program, a competition was launched to fire the work spirit and motivation of young people aspiring to build better futures for themselves. The nine winners, selected from more than 23,500 contestants, received a unique opportunity to experience the world of work in a diverse, international way. Adecco designed “job journeys” across five continents that provided the winners from France, the United States, Japan, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand with a taste of a wide variety of jobs and companies.The nine youngsters were encouraged to share their experiences and journeys via a blog with family, friends, Adecco employees, and the broader public.

Patrick De Maeseneire concluded: “Young people must be willing to learn languages, work abroad, and show a cando attitude – all are crucial to seizing opportunities on today’s job market. My sincere thanks to our clients around the globe who supported this initiative by providing such a varied and enriching range of jobs for our winners.”

In total 46 Adecco clients in 49 countries bought in to the Adecco Way to Work™ program and were willing and eager to give these young job seekers a unique experience and an insight into their businesses. Andri Bodmer, HR Director of the five star hotel Dolder Grand in Zurich, said: “It is of utmost importance to acquire work experience as early as possible, especially in order to develop the soft skills crucial in any business in which personal or client relations are essential.” 

As they traveled around the world, the job experience winners had much to share with their peers. Federico Sattanino from Italy offered this advice: “Don’t believe anyone who tells you that there are no jobs out there. There are, but we need to broaden our horizons and look a bit further afield.” Imane Krirat from Germany wrote: “I’ve learned that there are doors that could be opened… And one thing I know for sure is that this trip not only expanded my horizon but also added an important message to my CV!”

There is a whole generation at risk of exclusion from the world of work. Adecco took action by reaching out to more than half a million young people all over the world. The purpose was to give them back their dreams and to let them know that they are not a lost but a loved generation. With the scale and intensity of engagement that Way to Work reached in 2013, Adecco aims to help more than one million young people find their way to work in 2014.