4. Supporting sustainable enterprises: services to employers

A core feature of PES services is to collect vacancies from enterprises and for PES to facilitate good quality matches between jobseekers and enterprises. For enterprises, PES should be seen as the fi rst stop to advertising vacancies and reaching a wide audience for free of charge. Across the region, this is often not the case. However, PES can work towards this by off ering enterprises a wider set of support services that help enterprises to identify their skills needs and providing opportunities for their employees to upskill and reskill.

It is important to recognise that enterprises’ needs vary, and they are not a homogeneous group. They may have diff erent needs, at diff erent times and these may be aff ected by their sector and location as well as the size of the enterprise. Enterprises often face multiple challenges and often they have very limited time available, particularly for small to medium enterprises (SMEs). This is important for PES to consider when choosing an appropriate communication method, and messages. Enterprises require carefully crafted messages that explain ‘What’s in it for me?’ as well as what actions they need to take.

An important aspect of communication with enterprises is customer service. This is key when working with enterprises as they may return to work with PES again in the future. Building lasting relationships with enterprises can take time as PES often need to overcome any negative perceptions that enterprises have of PES as well as creating mutual trust between PES staff  and enterprises. Trust can be built on good results and performance therefore it is important that PES staff  have enough time to get to know an enterprise, understand their recruitment and skills needs and suggest jobseekers that are a good fi t.

PES therefore need to resource enterprise services appropriately and need to vary their approach and service off er to enterprises so that they can off er them relevant services and support. This in turn will provide a more eff ective and effi  cient service, raise the profi le of PES services and lead to a better use of PES resources. The box below outlines some of the key partners whom PES can work with to do this.

Box 10. Key partners to work with for delivering services to enterprises

Employers’ organisations

• Chambers of commerce
• Trade / industrial associations (e.g., employer membership business organisations, EMBOs)
• Network organisations for SMEs
• Ministries, or regional / local government
• Media

The ILO¹ considers employer and business membership organisations (EMBOs) as representing a key part in society: enterprises. Successful enterprises are at the heart of any strategy to create and increase employment and increase the quality of life and living standards as a whole. The ILO views EMBOs as playing an ’important role in enterprise success by infl uencing the environment in which they do business and by providing services that improve individual performances’.

Box 11. Creating collective solutions with EMBOs²

Global trends such as technological changes, climate changes and demographic changes (see Section 2.2 for more information) present diff erent challenges that cannot be addressed by business alone. Companies need to work together to develop solutions via EMBOs. EMBOs can strengthen to viability and competitiveness of individual businesses via addressing issues around skills (of their current and future workforce); infrastructure; and the business environment. They are often keen to play a much more active role in this process and work with external partners to do so, including the public and private sectors and EMBOs. As such, EMBOs can:

• Help to build more collaborative economies in which governments and companies work together to address the most pressing challenges, and the resulting benefi ts
• Support the coordination and advice around improving the skills of their workforce, via revised and enhanced training programmes
• Shape labour markets that are better equipped to deal with future changes, with proactive engagement between EMBOs and diff erent stakeholders. Communication and collaboration are required to promote trust and cooperation between business and wider society
• Adopt a long-term vision, based on strategic foresight, to help companies to be better equipped for change.

The table below provides an overview of the people, processes and services involved in delivering services for enterprises.

1. ^ https://www.ilo.org/actemp/lang--en/index.htm
2. ^ ILO and International Organisation of Employers (2019) ‘Changing business and opportunities for employers’ and business
   organisations’ (https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---act_emp/documents/publication/wcms_679582.pdf)