REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Application of Decision 573/2014/EU on enhanced cooperation between Public Employment Services (PES)
Date: 2017-06-06
Institutions: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
Subjects: EU employment policy, EURES, European cooperation, administrative cooperation, employment service, integration into employment, job access, labour mobility, social rights

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 6.6.2017  COM(2017) 287 final   REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Application of Decision 573/2014/EU on enhanced cooperation between Public Employment Services (PES)  
 
 
1. Introduction 

Public  Employment  Services  (PES)  are  at  the  forefront  of  responding  to  the  challenge  of 
unemployment  and  exclusion  across  Europe.  Pursuant  to  Decision  No  573/2014/EU1  (‘the 
Decision’), the European Parliament and the Council set up the European Network of Public 
Employment  Services  (‘the  Network’)  in  May  2014  as  a  platform  for  closer  cooperation 
between  these  organisations.  This  report  is  a  review  of  the  Decision’s  application.  In 
accordance with Article 10 of the Decision, the report will assess to what extent the Network 
has helped to achieve the objectives of the Decision2 and whether it has fulfilled its tasks so 
far. It will also examine how the Network has developed and implemented Benchlearning  – 
the process of connecting performance comparisons with mutual learning.3 

Section 2 of the report examines each of the Network’s objectives and looks at activities that 
it  has  undertaken.4  Section  3  reviews  the  implementation  of  the  Benchlearning  initiative, 
describing the methodology, the results so far and ongoing developments. Section 4 concludes 
the report, drawing some lessons from the first two and a half years of implementation of the 
Decision.  

About the European Network of Public Employment Services 

The  Network  was  established  in  May  2014  following  the  Decision  to  improve  cooperation 
between PES in Europe. The Network includes PES from all EU Member States, Norway and 
Iceland, as well as the European Commission.  

European-level collaboration between PES began before the Decision was adopted. In 1997, 
the Commission set up an informal advisory group of heads of PES. The aim was to promote 
cooperation, exchange and mutual learning between the group’s member organisations and to 
receive  specialist  feedback  on  employment  policy  initiatives.  Building  on  this,  the 
Commission made a proposal to formalise PES cooperation. It wanted to provide a platform 
to  compare  PES  performance  at  European  level,  identify  good  practice  and  foster  mutual 
learning  so  that  the  PES  could  improve  their  services.  It  also  wanted  to  give  the  PES  more 
opportunities  to  help  develop  innovative,  evidence-based  policies  in  line  with  the  Europe 
2020 objectives.  

1 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2014.159.01.0032.01.ENG 
2 As set out in Article 3. 
3 With specific reference to point 1(a) in Article 4. This calls on the Network to develop and implement Union-
wide, evidence based benchlearning among PES to compare, with appropriate methodology, the performance of 
their activities in the following areas: contributing to reducing unemployment for all age groups, the duration of 
unemployment and inactivity; filling vacancies; customer satisfaction with PES services.  
4 For ongoing and future activities please consult the 2017 work programme: 
http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=17001&langId=en 

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Governance of the Network 

The Network has a robust governance structure. 

Network Board  

The  Network  has  a  governing  Board  whose  members  are  heads  of  PES  from  each  EU 
Member State, Norway and Iceland, as well as the Commission. The Employment Committee 
(EMCO)5 has observer status. The Board meets twice a year in the Member State which holds 
the  EU  Presidency.  It  sets  the  strategic  direction  of  the  Network,  debates  labour  market 
developments and monitors the work programme’s implementation. 

Advisors for European PES Affairs (AFEPAs)  

Each Board member appoints an Advisor for European PES Affairs (AFEPA) to help run the 
Network. The advisors meet twice a year before Board meetings to review Network activities 
and agree draft positions. The EMCO secretariat is invited to attend these meetings to support 
collaboration between the Network and the EMCO.  

Network Secretariat 

The  Network  Board  is  assisted  by  a  Secretariat  provided  by  the  Commission  (Directorate-
General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion). The Secretariat, in cooperation with 
the chair and vice-chairs, prepares the Board meetings and helps implement the annual work 
programme. It also organises and chairs the meetings of the AFEPAs. 

The Network’s activities6 

The PES Benchlearning system is at the core of the Network’s activities. It aims to improve 
PES  performance  in  addressing  European  labour  market  challenges.  Benchlearning  links 
indicator-based  benchmarking  with  mutual  learning.  Good  practices  are  identified  and 
findings  are used  for mutual learning activities to increase the quality of service delivery to 
job-seekers  and  employers.  Assessment  is  both  qualitative  and  quantitative  and  leads  to 
recommendations on improving each PES.  

The  Network  also  helps  its  members  to  implement  priority  actions,  such  as  the  Youth 
Guarantee,  and  to  address  PES-related  country-specific  recommendations.  This  is  done 
through  mutual  learning  and  individualised  technical  assistance.  Finally,  the  Network 
provides  decision-makers  at  national  and  European  levels  with  expert  advice  on  designing, 
developing and assessing employment policies.  

5 http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=115 
6 Annual reports on the Network activities are available for 2015 and 2016: 
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1100&langId=en 

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2. Assessing fulfilment of Article 3 objectives 

This  section  examines  each  of  the  objectives  under  Article  3  of  the  Decision.  It  looks  at 
activities  that  the  Network  has  undertaken.  Where  thematically  appropriate,  some  Article  3 
objectives  have  been  linked  together  (objective  a  with  objective  g  and  objective  d  with 
objective e).  

Article 3 of the Decision: Objectives  

The  aim  of  this  Decision  is  to  encourage  cooperation  between  Member  States  through  the 
Network  in  the  field  of  employment,  within  the  areas  of  PES  responsibility,  in  order  to 
contribute  to  ‘Europe  2020’  and  to  the  implementation  of  relevant  Union  policies,  thereby 
supporting:  

(a) the most vulnerable social groups with high unemployment rates, especially older workers 
and young persons not in employment, education or training (‘NEETs’);  

(b) decent and sustainable work;  

(c) the better functioning of the labour markets in the EU;  

(d) the identification of skills shortages and the provision of information on their extent and 
location,  as  well  as  the  better  matching  of  the  skills  of  job-seekers  with  the  needs  of 
employers;  

(e) the better integration of labour markets;  

(f) increased voluntary geographical and occupational mobility on a fair basis to meet specific 
labour market needs;  

(g) the integration of persons excluded from the labour market as part of the combat against 
social exclusion;  

(h)  the  evaluation  and  assessment  of  active  labour  market  initiatives  and  their  effective  and 
efficient implementation.  

2.1 Supporting vulnerable social groups and integrating persons excluded from the 
labour market (objective a and objective g) 

The Network helps to ensure that labour markets are working well in Europe. Central to this is 
implementing  policies  that  help  those  furthest  away  from  the  labour  market  find  work, 
especially  young  people  and  the  long-term  unemployed,  a  key  priority  for  European 
Employment policy. In addition, the Network has addressed the integration of refugees and of 
persons with disabilities into the labour market. 

Youth unemployment 

The Network has  been actively contributing to EU  measures to  tackle  youth  unemployment 
by  supporting  the  implementation  of  the  Youth  Guarantee7.  The  Youth  Guarantee  aims  to 
ensure that all young people under 25 receive a good quality offer of employment, continued 
education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within four months of becoming unemployed or 

7 http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1079  

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leaving  education.  In  many  countries,  PES  act  as  the  main  entry  point  for  the  Youth 
Guarantee, working also with a range of delivery partners. 

The Youth Guarantee Recommendation calls upon the PES Network to continue monitoring 
and reporting regularly on developments concerning the design, implementation and results of 
Youth  Guarantee  schemes.  The  Decision  calls  on  the  Network  to  promote  and  share  best 
practice on integration of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEETs). 
The  Network  is  therefore  monitoring  PES  implementation  of  the  Youth  Guarantee  – 
published  in  annual  reports  on  the  subject8  —  and  has  undertaken  several  other  mutual 
learning and analytical activities. For example, the Network’s Catalogue of PES Practices for 
the  Outreach  to  NEETs9  includes  examples  from  17  PES  on  the  different  ways  that  such 
services  were  delivered  across  Europe.  The  Network’s  Catalogue  of  Measures  for 
Implementation  of  the  Youth  Guarantee10  lists  PES  measures  to  improve  their  Youth 
Guarantee service offer. Furthermore, in 2016 a toolkit11 was developed to provide concrete 
guidance for PES on outreach to NEETs.  

The Commission’s 2016 report on the Youth Guarantee and the Youth Employment Initiative 
Three Years On12 considered that most PES had better targeted their services and offered more 
to  young  people.  The  report  also  mentions  some  remaining  challenges for  the  PES,  such  as 
ensuring they have the capacity to perform the large range of tasks required, and stepping up 
their structured cooperation with employers.  

Long-term unemployment  

The February 2016 Council Recommendation on the integration of the long-term unemployed 
into  the  labour  market13  mandated  EMCO  to  monitor  implementation,  with  the  Network 
contributing to this process.  

Example: Network Conference on integrating the long-term unemployed 

On  2  June  2016,  the  Network  held  a  conference  bringing  together  representatives  from  the 
PES,  the  third  sector,  private  employment  services  and  other  partners  to  discuss 
implementation of the Recommendation on the long-term unemployed. 

The  conference  focused  on  providing  single  points  of  contact  through  inter-agency 
coordination, designing and implementating job integration agreements and creating effective 
job integration partnerships. 

The  conference  discussions  gave  PES  and  other  stakeholders  an  opportunity  to  exchange 
experiences  and  share  expertise.  These  forums  enable  PES  to  improve  performance  and 
deepen cooperation with partner organisations to address critical issues. 

The  Network  designed  and  adopted  quality  standards  which  set  out  minimum,  intermediate 
and advanced expectations for the delivery of a facility for a single customer contact point and 

8 http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=16966&langId=en 
9 http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=13728&langId=en 
10 http://ec.europa.eu/social/contentAdmin/BlobServlet?docId=13199&langId=en   
11 http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=16571&langId=en  
12 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1477901398883&uri=CELEX:52016DC0646  
13 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32016H0220%2801%29  

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job  integration  agreements.  The  Employment,  Social  Policy,  Health  and  Consumer  Affairs 
Council14  (EPSCO)  has  endorsed  these  quality  standards.  The  Network  also  conducted 
research  to  identify  good  practices  in  PES  on  early  intervention  with  and  activation  of  the 
unemployed.  

From  the  start  the  Network  has  been  involved  in  developing  the  Recommendation  on  the 
long-term  unemployed,  and  submitted  a  Network  response  to  the  consultation  on  its 
introduction.  

Refugees 

Many  PES  in  Europe  are  having  to  offer  services  to  a  growing  number  of  refugees  and,  in 
some cases, asylum-seekers. Although the situation in the Member States varies widely, there 
are many common challenges and significant possibilities to learn from innovative approaches 
across  Europe.  The  Network  Board  has  been  discussing  the  refugee  situation  and  Member 
State practices. 

In June 2016, the Network adopted its key considerations on the integration of refugees and 
asylum-seekers  into  the  labour  market15.  It  identified  four  issues  as  being  of  particular 
importance  for  integrating  refugees  and  asylum-seekers:  language,  skills  and  qualifications, 
partnerships and institutions, and employers. In 2017 it is organising a mutual learning event 
to investigate PES practices in these areas.  

Persons with disabilities 

Integrating  persons  with disabilities into the labour market is  an area  the Network has  been 
focusing  on.  It  was  also  the  priority  of  the  Dutch  Presidency  of  the  EU  in  the  first  half  of 
2016.  The  June  2016  Network  Board  meeting  in  Amsterdam  was  an  opportunity  to  take  a 
look at the innovative and advanced approach of the Netherlands. In 2016, the Network also 
published  an  analytical  paper  on  disability  and  labour  market  integration16  which  reviewed 
recent  policy  initiatives  and  looked  at  the  main  trends  for  helping  persons  with  disabilities 
find  work.  The  paper  drew  on  examples  from  Member  States  where  there  have  been  major 
reforms in the support given to persons with disabilities.  

2.2 Decent and sustainable work (objective b) 

The Network has worked to ensure that initiatives to create decent and sustainable work are 
effective  by  contributing  to  the  consultation  on  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights, 
publishing the Labour Markets Dynamics Report, and organising a thematic review workshop 
on sustainable integration into the labour market. In addition to specific events on this topic, 
many of the Network’s mutual learning events have touched on it indirectly.  

14 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/council-eu/configurations/epsco/ 
15 http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=16068&langId=en  
16 http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=16601&langId=en  

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European Pillar of Social Rights 

The Commission Recommendation and proposal for an Inter-Institutional Proclamation for a 
European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights17  puts  more  focus  on  employment  and  social  aspects  and 
make the European social model fit for the challenges of the 21st century. The Pillar sets out a 
general right to timely and tailor-made assistance to improve employment or self-employment 
prospects, including the right to receive support for job search, training and re-qualification. 
For  the  unemployed,  the  Pillar  sets  out  as  well  the  right  to    personalised,  continuous  and 
consistent  support.  For  the  long-term  unemployed,  the  Pillar  foresees  a  right  to  an  in-depth 
individual  assessment  at  the  latest  at  18  months  of  unemployment.  On  the  side  of 
unemployment  benefits,  the  unemployed  have  the  right  to  adequate  activation  support  from 
PES to (re)integrate in the labour market and adequate unemployment benefits of reasonable 
duration, in line with their contributions and national eligibility rules. 

In  December  2016  the  Network  Board  submitted  a  contribution  to  the  Commission’s 
consultation.  It  identified  technological  changes  and  shifts  in  the  socioeconomic  context  as 
having  the  most  transformative  impact.  The  specific  policy  fields  identified  included  skills 
education  and  lifelong  learning,  secure  professional  transitions,  active  employment  support, 
integrated  social  benefits  and  services,  unemployment  benefits,  minimum  income,  and 
sickness  benefits.  In  the  light  of  this,  the  Network  is  also  revising  its  PES  2020  vision18  to 
better  reflect  the  emerging  trends  and  PES  preparedness  to  adapt  and  help  customers  cope 
with these changes.  

Labour Market Dynamics Report 

The  2016  EU  Labour  Market  Dynamics  Report19  identifies  trends  affecting  the  EU  labour 
market during the crisis. It then analyses the use of PES by job-seekers and how PES assisted 
job-finders during the period 2007-2014. It provides insight into the many ways in which PES 
can use the analysis of transition data to make the services they provide more effective. It also 
looks  at the  relative  contribution  of  PES  to  how  labour  markets  operate  in  various  Member 
States.   

Thematic review workshop on sustainable integration into the labour market 

A  mutual  learning  event  on  sustainable  integration  into  the  labour  market  was  held  in 
November 2016. It led to a group of PES wanting to learn more about the innovations in the 
Norwegian  PES.  In  a  follow-up  visit  to  the  Norwegian  Labour  and  Welfare  Administration 
(NAV) in January 2017, these PES were able to learn about how the NAV has improved its 
digital services. This has led to a more efficient use of resources, both in terms of the amount 
of  time  counsellors  spend  with  job-seekers  and  in  terms  of  physical  meeting  space,  so  that 
staff  can  concentrate  on  supporting  job-seekers  who  have  more  complex  needs.  Such  an 
approach  is  also  enabling  the  PES  to  work  better  with  employers  to  match  job-seekers 
effectively. Employer relations units in each PES help develop stronger links. The NAV also 
explained  how  it  sets  up  mentoring  once  job-seekers  are  placed,  and  supports  the  return  of 
health-impaired individuals to work.  

17 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/priorities/deeper-and-fairer-economic-and-monetary-union/european-pillar-
social-rights_en 
18 http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=9690&langId=en 
19 http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=16334&langId=en 

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2.3 Better functioning of labour markets (objective c) 

Cooperation  between  a  range  of  stakeholders  to  help  people  enter  and  remain  in  the  labour 
market  is  crucial  to  ensure  successful  outcomes  for  job-seekers,  employees  and  employers 
across Europe. To this end, the Network has been involved in several initiatives to promote 
greater  collaboration,  including  the  Partnerships  between  Employment  Services  (PARES) 
initiative  and  a  Stakeholder  Conference  on  Partnerships.  The  Network  has  also  organised 
events  such  as  change  management  seminars,  review  workshops  on  IT  and  workshops  on 
profiling, as well as providing specific technical assistance to help PES improve their capacity 
to match of job-seekers to vacancies, for example. Cooperation with the European Network of 
Employment  Services  (EURES),  re-established  under  Regulation  (EU)  2016/58920,  has  also 
been  crucial  given  EURES’  remit  to  improve  the  functioning,  cohesion  and  integration  of 
labour markets in the EU, including at cross-border level. 

Partnerships between Employment Services 

The PARES initiative21 ran between September 2011 and March 2016 to improve cooperation 
between  public,  private  and  non-profit  providers  of  employment  services  and  to  determine 
areas  where  they  could  deliver  complementary  services.  The  initiative  consisted  of  three 
strands  of  work:  strategic  dialogue  forums  to  share  and  develop  good  practices,  calls  for 
proposals and a shared database to bring useful material together.  

There have been a number of strategic dialogues on topics ranging from effective e-services 
to  delivering coordinated services. At the final  PARES  strategic dialogue event  in  February 
2016,  representatives  from  PES  and  municipalities  in  12  countries  came  together  to  share 
experiences of and insights into contracting out services. Delegates shared their views on and 
experiences  of  working  with  external  providers,  using  remuneration  models  for  outsourced 
services, and designing and evaluating tenders.  

Stakeholder Conference on Partnerships 

The  Network  held  a  Stakeholder  Conference  in  2015  on  strengthening  the  labour  market 
through greater cooperation between partners. The event brought together representatives of 
the  PES,  the  ministries  concerned,  the  European  Parliament,  the  European  Commission, 
private employment services, social partners and NGOs. The participants explored a number 
of areas including partnerships with private employment services, the Network’s contribution 
to the European Semester, the role of social partners in PES reform, the delivery of the Youth 
Guarantee,  the  ‘conductor’  role  of  PES  between  labour  market  actors,  and  the  managing  of 
career transitions. The event was instrumental in raising the profile and value of the Network 
among its stakeholders.  

Co-operation between PES and Private Employment Services (PrES) 

In December 2016, the Network Board endorsed principles outlining a strategy and vision to 
cooperate  with  PrES  at  European  level.  They  highlighted  the  need  for  PES  to  create 
partnerships to continue to be relevant given the cross-cutting nature of the current and future 
labour  markets.  They  also  pointed  out  that  PES  would  need  to  offer  a  diverse  range  of 
services.  As  there  was  a  constant  pressure  to  do  more  with  fewer  resources,  they  would  be 
unable  to  achieve  this  alone.  Partnerships  offered  a  way  of  continuing  to  offer  high  quality 

20 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv%3AOJ.L_.2016.107.01.0001.01.ENG  
21 http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=991 

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services to customers. The PES Board has agreed to engage in discussions on this matter at 
future meetings and to invite stakeholders to meetings.  

2.4 Better matching and integration of labour markets (objective d and objective e) 

Identifying  skills  shortages  and  better  matching  of  job-seekers  with  jobs  are  one  of  the 
Network’s objectives. Employers play a central role in prospering economy in general, and in 
the  effective  integration  of  job-seekers  into  the  labour  market.  The  European  PES  promote 
productivity  and  employability  through  an  appropriate  supply  of  relevant  knowledge,  skills 
and competences.  

To  support  this,  the  Network  has  been  engaged  in  a  range  of  initiatives  to  exchange 
information  between  PES  on  skills  shortages  and  learn  from  innovative  practices.  These 
include producing an annual bottleneck vacancies study and running a European Employers 
Day to encourage closer collaboration between PES and employers.  

Bottleneck vacancies studies 

Two  studies22  were  conducted  in  2015  and  2016  to  collect  data  on  shortage  occupations 
across  the  Network.  The  studies  developed  and  applied  a  model  for  data  collection  and 
exchange on bottleneck occupations in Europe, with the participation of 26 PES. 

The second study, based on 2016 data, also included a comparison of administrative data from 
the employment services and data from the Labour Force Survey. The studies paint a picture 
of  occupations  in  shortage  and  surplus  both  at  national  and  at  EU  level.  They  also  discuss 
whether  the  shortages  are  genuinely  based  on  skill  deficits  or  on  unstable  conditions  of 
employment, and ways to improve skills matching. 

European Employers Day  

To  encourage  the  cooperation  between  PES  and  employers,  the  Network  organised  the  first 
European Employers Day in April 201623 in all EU Member States, Iceland and Norway. In 
light  of  the  initiative’s  success,  the  Network  Board  agreed  to  hold  another  European 
Employers Day in the Autumn of 2017.  

Example: Activities of the European Employers Day 2016 

At  European  level,  the  European  Employers  Day  was  marked  by  a  high-level  press 
conference in Brussels. At national level, the PES organised intensive employer contacts, job 
fairs,  thematic  events  and  various  communication  actions.  As  a  result  of  the  European 
Employers Day, 30 000 vacancies were collected by PES through their contact with more than 
220 000  employers.  70 000  job-seekers  and  20 000  PES  employees  were  involved. 
Furthermore,  PES  were  able  to  share  experiences  with  other  PES  on  interacting  with 
employers and on making a success of this event. 

22 http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=16007&langId=en and  
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23 http://www.employersday.eu/ 

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2.5 Mobility (objective f) 

To  address  the  issue  of  supporting  the  increased  voluntary  geographical  and  occupational 
mobility of workers, the Network Board agreed to propose closer coordination with EURES. 
The  Network  will  also  consider  how  it  can  support  the  new  European  Solidarity  Corps 
initiative as part of an approach to assist individual PES with meeting the mobility needs of 
both employers and job-seekers, especially young people.   

Co-operation with EURES and governance structure 

Established in 1993, the European Employment Services Network (EURES) is a cooperation 
designed to facilitate the free movement of workers between the 28 countries of the EU plus 
Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. 

EURES aims to make labour markets more transparent at EU level by exchanging data on job 
vacancies and job-seeker profiles. It also seeks to improve access to support services for job-
seekers and employers interested in making the free movement of workers easier. Given the 
PES’ mandate, the role of EURES is crucial and to date PES are the most important member 
organisations. The member organisations share labour market information and work together 
daily to match and place workers in jobs in other countries across the EU. The new legal basis 
laid  down  in  2016  reinforces  the  obligations  to  share  information  and  cooperate  across 
Member  States  on  areas  such  as  apprenticeships.  It  also  defines  a  minimum  set  of  support 
services that PES have to provide. In the light of these new obligations, important synergies 
can be expected by both networks working together quite closely on activities resulting from 
their mandates and affecting the everyday management of PES. 

Consequently,  at  its  December  2016  meeting,  the  Network  Board  agreed  to  promote  closer 
cooperation between the PES Network and EURES at European level. A representative from 
the  EURES  European  Coordination  Group  would  be  invited  to  attend  AFEPA  meetings  to 
provide relevant updates, and vice versa. It was also agreed that the PES Secretariat and the 
EURES  European  Coordination  Office  would  work  closely  together  to  prepare  for  their 
respective meetings.  

Fair mobility working group 

The Network Board established a working group on fair mobility to focus on the operational 
aspects of PES cooperation to support mobility. The working group drafted a reflection paper 
which was considered by the AFEPA and by the Board in December 2015. However, there is 
currently no common Network position on fair mobility. 

European Solidarity Corps 

The  European  Solidarity  Corps  launched  in  December  2016  aims  to  provide  young  people 
across Europe with the opportunity to volunteer or engage in a professional experience, in the 
form of a job or a traineeship for instance, in the solidarity sector in their own Member States, 
or  in  another  Member  State.  PES  contributed  to  the  design  of  the  initiative  as  part  of  the 
targeted stakeholder consultations that took place, given their experience of matching young 
job-seekers with jobs, including across borders. They will be one of the key players that will 
help deliver the occupational dimension of the initiative and some PES are already involved 
in  facilitating  first  occupational  placements  under  the  first  phase  of  the  European Solidarity 
Corps. 

10 

 
 
2.6 Evaluation and assessment of active labour market initiatives (objective g) 

The evaluation of Active Labour Market Policies (ALMPs) is especially important for PES. It 
can help them to decide whether to pursue specific approaches following initial piloting, and 
which practices from other Member States may be successfully transferred.  

Analytical reports 

The Network produces a number of analytical reports and studies which examine and assess 
ALMPs  and  their  implementation.  In  2016  for  example,  it  published  an  analytical  paper  on 
issues emerging from combining active and passive measures for the long-term unemployed. 
Further  reports  include  studies  on  integrating  ex-offenders  into  the  labour  market,  coaching 
and supporting older workers. These papers are available on the Network’s knowledge centre 
website24. This enables members and practitioners to learn about initiatives across the EU and 
assess their impact.  

PES contribution to EMCO multilateral surveillance reviews 

The  Network  also  contributed  to  EMCO  multilateral  surveillance  reviews  on  ALMPs,  the 
Youth Guarantee and long-term unemployment. For example, the December 2015 review of 
the Youth Guarantee/youth employment recognised the importance of PES in delivering the 
Youth  Guarantee  and  confirmed  the  need  for  ongoing  efforts  to  improve  PES  capacity  and 
efficiency.  

3. Benchlearning 

Benchlearning  —  a  systematic  combination  of  indicator-based  benchmarking  with  mutual 
learning — is an innovative method that the PES have pioneered in the Network.25 It aims to 
support  each  PES  in  improving  its  performance  through  comparisons  and  institutional 
learning from peers. It enables PES to utilise qualitative internal and external assessment of 
various performance enablers (drivers) to support benchmarking. The results can be used for 
mutual learning activities. As defined by Article 4 of the Decision, Benchlearning is central to 
the Network’s activities.  

The five pillars of Benchlearning 

1.  Quantitative  assessment  creating  transparency  on  the  PES  performance  through  the 

collection, validation and analysis of PES data; 

2.  Qualitative  assessment  of  PES  performance  against  performance  enablers  through 
self-assessment  followed  by  a  peer/Commission/external  expert  assessment  on  the 
basis of a site visit; 

3.  Systematic  identification  of  good  practices  which  are  collated  online,  such  as  in  the 

PES Knowledge Centre; 

24 http://ec.europa.eu/social/PESknowledgecentre 
25 PES Benchlearning is inspired by the excellence model of the European Foundation for Quality Management 
(EFQM), a holistic tool for assessing the effectiveness of organisations. For the particular purpose of 
Benchlearning within the European PES, a tailor-made application of the related Common Assessment 
Framework approach was developed. 

11 

 
 
 
                                                            
4.  A mutual learning programme which builds on the results of and supports the increase 

in PES performance by focusing on identified strengths and weaknesses; 

5.  PES follow-up of the Benchlearning assessment in defining and driving their action 

plans for improvement. 

Benchlearning assessment process and site visits 

In order to achieve an integrated link between benchmarking and mutual learning activities, a 
structured  and  systematic  analysis  of  PES  performance  was  conducted  during  the  first  two 
years of the Benchlearning project. It focused on the seven performance areas identified in the 
Decision26, broken down further into 29 performance enablers. For the analysis, performance 
data were used in combination with an ongoing process of PES self-, peer and expert review. 
Each PES conducted a structured reflection on its performance in relation to the performance 
enablers.  Following  this  self-assessment,  a  group  of  peer,  Commission  and  external  experts 
visited the PES, at both central and local levels, to undertake an external assessment.  

By  the  end  of  July  2016,  PES  in  all  Member  States,  Iceland  and  Norway  had  been  visited, 
bringing to an end the first cycle of PES visits. The outcomes of the site visits are collated in a 
report  providing  each  PES  with  a  set  of  specific  recommendations,  to  help  PES  steer  their 
national action plans for improvement. As follow-up, reports on change are submitted by PES 
one year after the visit. 

Benchmarking 

In  order  to  achieve  evidence-based  learning,  transparency  of  PES  performance  was  created 
through a collection of comprehensive data on PES results and performance enablers.  

The  combined  quantitative  and  qualitative  analyses  provide  initial  empirical  evidence  that 
overall  more  mature  organisations  exhibit  better  performance  overall.  On  performance 
comparisons,  it  should  be  highlighted  that  in  each  performance  area  several  PES  were 
assessed as mature or well-developed during the first cycle of PES visits. There is, therefore, 
more than one opportunity to study good examples from peer PES to support organisational 
development. 

A collection of potentially transferable practices identified during the assessments are shared 
within the Network for learning purposes.  

Mutual learning 

Mutual  learning  activities  aim  to  strengthen  the  performance  and  modernisation  of  PES  by 
building on the results of data analysis and PES Benchlearning assessments. These activities 
take several forms, such as peer exchanges, thematic reviews, conferences, analytical papers 

26  1.  Strategic performance  management; 2. Design of operational processes  such  as  effective  channelling  and 
profiling  of  job-seekers  and  tailored  use  of  active  labour  market  instruments;  3.  Sustainable  activation  and 
management  of  transitions;  4.  Relations  to  employers;  5.  Evidence-based  design  and  implementation  of  PES 
services; 6. Effective management of partnerships with stakeholders; 7. Allocation of PES resources. 

12 

 
 
 
                                                            
and  toolkits  (see  activities  in  Section  2  above).  They  also  include  support  for  the 
implementation of country-specific recommendations27. 

The  results  of  the  first  Benchlearning  cycle  have  been  used  to  develop  and  steer  the 
Network’s  mutual  learning  programme,  as  reflected  in  its  2017  work  programme.  A  broad 
range  of  topics  have  been  selected  from  the  Benchlearning  exercise,  enabling  staff 
participation at different levels within PES. 

Second cycle of Benchlearning 

In 2017, the Network has begun the second cycle of PES visits. It follows on seamlessly from 
the first cycle and builds on its achievements by supporting PES activities and initiatives for 
improvement and modernisation. Each PES will be re-assessed, with an emphasis on change. 

The  Benchlearning  model  has  been  slightly  adapted,  but  the  main  design  of  the  process 
remains.  Additionally,  it  focuses  on  the  changes  the  PES  have  planned  to  make  and  their 
progress  in  making  these  changes  since  their  first  assessment.  This  is  to  help  each  PES 
individually  to  implement  improvement  measures.  After  the  second  visit,  PES  will  again 
receive a feedback report with a detailed assessment focusing on the areas of change PES are 
currently  dealing  with  and  practical  suggestions  for  further  improvements  to  maintain 
continuous progress and learning.  

The Network has fully embraced Benchlearning, with all members committed to engaging in 
the  second  cycle  of  PES  visits.  Feedback  from  a  satisfaction  questionnaire  shows  that  PES 
appreciated the high level of competence of the team of external assessors. The Benchlearning 
initiative  is  seen  as  a  unique  opportunity  for  the  PES  to  strengthen  inter-departmental  and 
inter-sectoral cooperation and learning.  

The  Benchlearning  project  provides  PES  with  an  opportunity  to  get  feedback  from  trusted 
partners in an environment of mutual support, collegial advice and trustful cooperation. This 
results in internal and external support. Internal, in that the members of the Network can all 
benefit  from  the  mutual  learning  activities,  and  external  in  that  it  provides  PES  decision 
makers with evidence they can use to justify changes and improvements.  

The support of the Network’s members to continue with the initiative and their readiness to 
volunteer as assessors for the site visits demonstrate the value that PES derive from it, and the 
success of the first cycle of Benchlearning.  

Examples of reform initiatives resulting from the Benchlearning initiative28 

Malta:  the  Maltese  PES  has  initiated  a  number  of  reforms.  These  include  establishing  an 
employers’  relations  unit  to  reach  out  to  employers,  revising  their  standard  operating 
procedures  and  transforming  the  interactions  between  PES  advisors  and  clients  to  ensure  a 
more personalised approach. 

Lithuania:  the  Lithuanian  PES  has  created  a  new  quality  management  and  control  division 
and  is  introducing  process-orientated  structural  changes  in  all  10  of  their  regional  offices. 
They  also  have  a  programme  of  activities  which  includes  a  formal  quality  assessment,  staff 

27 https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/european-semester/european-semester-timeline/eu-country-specific-
recommendations_en 
28 Further examples can be found in the European Network of Public Employment Services, Annual Report July 
2015-December 2016, http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=17000&langId=en  

13 

 
 
                                                            
development and improvements to their IT infrastructure.  

Ireland: The Irish PES undertook an extensive evaluation programme, initiated a large-scale 
annual Jobseeker Customer Satisfaction Survey, created a recognition programme to reward 
significant  contributions  by  staff  and  increased  the  frequency  of  contact  with  job-seekers, 
particularly vulnerable groups.  

4. Outlook  

The evidence presented above demonstrates that the Decision has been fully implemented and 
that the Network’s activities fulfil the objectives set out in the Decision. From the early years 
of the implementation there are also some preliminary lessons that can be drawn which might 
be of use to other European initiatives. These are outlined below. 

Stronger PES cooperation at European level 

The legal establishment of the Network has provided a platform to successfully develop and 
strengthen the previous informal network of Heads of PES. The formalised structure, defined 
objectives  and  the  regularity  and  dynamic  structure  of  Board  meetings  have  created  an 
impetus  for  closer  collaboration  between  Member  States  and  national  PES.  The  busy  work 
programme and active involvement of all members in the mutual learning activities, working 
groups and Benchlearning are proof of this. 

There is a strong culture of mutual support and collaboration within the Network, and this is 
leading  to  innovations  in  PES  supporting  one  another.  Peer-to-peer  support  also  helps 
addressing  PES-related  country-specific  recommendations  issued  by  the  Council  in  the 
context  of  the  European  Semester.  Increasingly  PES  are  also  using  the  Network  to  receive 
assistance  or  advice  from  other  members  on  certain  policy  areas  outside  of  the  work 
programme. 

Successful start of the Benchlearning initiative 

The  innovative  Benchlearning  initiative  has  been  implemented  successfully,  driven  and 
shaped by the Network’s members. The willingness of all Member States to also participate in 
the second cycle of PES visits indicates the value they see in Benchlearning with its mutual 
support and learning opportunities, as well as personalised recommendations for improvement 
for  individual  PES.  Reports  from  PES  follow  up  on  the  Benchlearning  activities  indicate 
performance  improvements.  The  exercise  has  identified  a  range  of  inspiring  practices  from 
Member  States  and  areas  where  PES  can  focus  their  development,  therefore  providing 
evidence based rigor to the Network’s work programme.  

Need for increased visibility  

PES are stronger when they speak with one voice. The recent collaboration to provide a single 
PES contribution to the consultation on the Social Pillar demonstrated that the challenges and 
changing landscapes faced by individual PES are shared. It also showed that there is not only 
scope for them to work together to tackle these challenges, but also scope to raise their profile 
for  decision  makers  by  providing  a  united  stance.  As  evidenced  by  the  wide  range  of 

14 

 
 
 
 
information  in  the  PES  knowledge  centre  on  the  organisation  of  PES  in  Europe  and  the 
services they offer, the Network has been prolific in its output. Many of these resources have 
a wider benefit for researchers and decision makers. Greater visibility of the Network and its 
output  would  ensure  these  resources  are  used  effectively.  The  Board’s  agreement  to  allow 
Benchlearning data to be published would also strengthen the business case for reform.   

5. Conclusion 

The  Decision  has  been  successfully  implemented  to  date.  As  shown  in  this  report,  there  is 
strong  evidence  that  the  Network  is  focusing  on  all  areas  set  out  in  the  Decision.  In  its 
formalised  structure,  the  Network  has  proved  that  it  is  an  effective  vehicle  for  supporting 
national PES in the individual challenges they face. At the same time, it promotes cooperation 
to tackle common issues together to further the aims of the Europe 2020 strategy.  

The  Benchlearning  project in  particular  has  shown  itself  to  be  a  positive  innovation,  in  that 
national institutions can have external references, receive constructive feedback from expert 
practitioners  and  engage  in  tailor-made  learning  activities  with  peers.  As  the  cycles  of 
Benchlearning  develop,  PES  will  be  able  to  continually  improve  their  organisation  and  the 
services they provide to the public. Benchlearning has the potential to be applicable to a wide 
range of policy areas and initiatives across the EU in the pursuit of excellence.   

Building  on  its  successes  and  remaining  relevant  to  its  members,  the  Network  is  making 
encouraging progress. The willingness of its members to collaborate, share good practice and 
participate  in  learning  events  demonstrates  their  shared  desire  to  constantly  improve  and 
ultimately  provide  a  better  and  more  effective  service  for  all  people  across  Europe.  The 
Network  has  been  focusing  its  activities  on  the  eight  objectives  outlined  in  the  Decision. 
However,  this  has  not  prevented  it  from  responding  to  emerging  challenges  such  as  the 
refugee crisis.  

In accordance with the Decision, the Network is to run until 31 December 2020. This report 
gives an interim review of its activities to  date. Another report  will be published before the 
Decision expires. Looking ahead, the 2017 work programme has a full schedule of activities 
to  further  the  objectives  and  needs  of  PES.  Such  activities  will  continue  throughout  the 
Network’s existence.  

15