PESPod #22: PES Network at 10 years: reflections and looking to the future with Network Chairs past and present

The latest episode of PESPod – the podcast of the European Network of Public Employment Services (PES Network) – discusses the role of the PES Network as it celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2024.

The special, extended episode dedicated to the PES Network’s anniversary features insightful discussion and reflections from Network chairs, both past and present.

This wide-ranging episode marks the development of the PES Network over the last decade including highlights, key achievements, milestones and the Network’s impact within the European labour market and policy landscape.

The episode’s guests, alongside host and journalist David Poyser, are:

• Frank-Jürgen Weise: First Chair of the PES Network from 2014 to 2016 and former Chairman of the Executive Board of BA, the German PES; 
• Fons Leroy: Former Chair of the PES Network from 2016 to 2018, and former CEO of VDAB, the PES of the region of Flanders in Belgium; 
• Johannes Kopf: Former Chair of the PES Network from 2019 to 2023 and current Chair of the Executive Board of AMS, the Austrian PES; and 
• Caroline Mancel: Current Chair of the PES Network Caroline Mancel, Deputy Director General of Actiris (the PES of the Brussels capital region).

Caroline Mancel, the current chair, shares what makes the PES Network special to her, whilst Frank-Jürgen Weise, the first Chair, reflects on the benefits of formalising the network in 2014 and his opinions on the most important achievements in the Network’s ten-year journey.

Fons Leroy discusses the focus on innovation and major transformations (“VUCA”) during his chairmanship, and Johannes Kopf, who served as the Chair during the COVID-19 pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine, highlights the value of the PES Network responding to these challenges.

The episode also explores topics such as the evolution of the labour market, the continued developments of PES and the PES Network, AI-enabled services like the ChatGPT career counsellor in the Austrian PES, and the opportunities presented by the new European Commission.

The episode concludes with a group discussion on the future of the PES Network and the guests' favourite memories from their time with the network. The PES Network Memo for the next European Leadership was highlighted as a key output to tackle the challenges of the future effectively.

Listen to the full episode here.

If you have any comments about this episode of PESPod or would like to suggest relevant topics for future episodes, write to: EMPL-PES-SECRETARIATec [dot] europa [dot] eu (EMPL-PES-SECRETARIAT[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)