The World Economic Forum’s 2023 Future of Jobs report highlights that 44% of employees' skills will be disrupted in the next five years. Similarly, Randstad’s latest Workmonitor Pulse survey shows that a quarter of employees were offered no skilling opportunities in the last year - in fact, this rises up to 40% for non-office based workers.
There is an urgent need for skilling, upskilling and reskilling of staff, and to foster a lifelong learning culture for people as a new imperative to succeed in labor markets which are highly impacted by digitization, migration, and the green economy. This forms part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 8, covering Quality Education and Decent Work & Economic Growth, respectively.
Skilling for the world of work is of such importance that the European Commission proclaimed 2023 as the European Year of Skills, with the objective to promote skills, policies and investments to ensure that nobody is left behind in the green and digital transitions and, in particular, to address labor shortages by closing gaps and skills mismatches for an empowered workforce.
At Randstad, we understand the impact that skilling can have on candidates as a key enabler to Decent Work & Economic Growth. During 2022 we invested over 5-million hours to train 374,900 job candidates and 922,000 hours to train 49,300 of our own employees. We also had 662,600 candidates working on a daily basis, 3,075 interns and 342,700 permanent placements.
bridging the skills gap and empowering underrepresented talent
An example of our training initiatives is Transcend, a USA based best-in-class skilling program designed to address two pressing workforce challenges: limited availability of in-demand skills for employers and limited accessibility of training and job opportunities for candidates.
As a private-nonprofit partnership solution, Transcend aims at attracting traditionally underrepresented groups to careers in account management, financial services, non-clinical healthcare and technology.
This 2023 American Staffing Association Elevate Award Honorable Mention program is an 8-week skills initiative aligned with in-demand roles, mentoring opportunities and professional development while equipping talent with soft skills, technical skills and culture fit.
I am glad that Rhadisha and I were matched for the Randstad Transcend mentoring program and so proud of the career opportunities she pursued and ultimately found within Randstad. Rhadisha and I built a rapport throughout the journey and talked about work, professional goals, personal goals and so much more, which was a great opportunity to just discuss our own experiences and try to support each other. It has been great to get to know Rhadisha through this program.
Transcend kicked off in March 2021 as a national skilling solution to support talent shortages, and offer its participants opportunities to learn new skills that are necessary for today's in-demand jobs, engage with key industry leaders, benefit from virtual training and work directly with companies that offer real career opportunities. To-date, 236 people have gone through the program, with a 79% graduation rate, and 65% have found job opportunities through Randstad.
It was such a positive experience to work with Joel as my mentor throughout the Transcend Program. I found great value in his encouragement, support, and perspective as I sought to navigate the consideration of a career pivot. Over our calls throughout the program, we explored how my professional skills and personal goals could be combined to make the best next step for me. Joel's candor about his own experiences helped me realize I could embrace my journey with confidence.
support around the world
Over in Europe, Randstad in the Netherlands launched a national advertising campaign to increase awareness of the skilling opportunities provided by Randstad. Important for accessibility, the skilling is offered free of charge and without location restrictions thanks to partnerships with GoodHabitz and the Online Academy.
Technology is not central to the future of jobs, it is pivotal right now. In Spain, Randstad operates Randstad Impulsa, a program focused on enhancing digital skills, offering resources and materials to enhance individuals' employability. Moreover, Randstad Spain undertakes targeted initiatives to enhance the digital proficiency of women facing potential exclusion. Similarly, in Argentina, Randstad is engaged in various initiatives and collaborations to combat youth unemployment by offering young individuals training opportunities through public-private partnerships and by providing short educational practices in the office.
These are just a few of the ways in which Randstad contributes to building a more equitable world of work, one where people have the opportunity to access new skills and knowledge to advance themselves and their careers. For more, please visit our local sustainability initiatives report for 2023.
