Falling into information rabbit holes is a real risk for me, given the vast amount of labour market data I encounter and my curious nature. My adventure began with CERIC's CareerWise Weekly and its "3 reports that caught our attention" section and ended with me spending too much time on the World Economic Forum's publications website. The ASPECT Conference theme, focused on the evolving employment services sector, drew me to their white paper, Unlocking Opportunity: A Global Framework for Enabling Transitions to the Jobs of Tomorrow.



Source: Unlocking Opportunity: A Global Framework for Enabling Transitions to the Jobs of Tomorrow (page 5)

My key takeaways include five points from WEF's paper as they pertain to community-based employment services and the value to future workforce development:


Worker Safety Nets: Community-based services can help create or enhance safety nets for workers undergoing job transitions, ensuring they have the financial and social support needed during the unemployment or reskilling period. We know this first-hand every time there is a mass layoff within a community, and our members mobilize to help both workers and employers navigate the next steps.

Job Matching Efficiency: These services can help improve the efficiency of matching workers with employers, especially by promoting flexible working arrangements and temporary roles, which may be particularly useful for marginalized groups or those re-entering the workforce. 

Targeted Regional Initiatives: The document includes case studies highlighting successful regional initiatives where employment services helped workers transition into growing job sectors, particularly in digital and healthcare roles. Some excellent ideas, some new, but many are in practice within our member communities.

While it feels like falling down a rabbit hole, the insights are invaluable for those delivering employment services. The evolving work landscape demands proactive strategies, and these frameworks are interesting for guiding future efforts.

Janet Morris-Reade, CEO
ASPECT BC