The shift in global labor markets toward ‘talent-based economies’ offers huge opportunities for growth–but this change also means that traditional ways of finding work are becoming less effective. This theme runs throughout a new report from the Manpower Group and the World Economic Forum, released this month at the Global Youth Economic Opportunities conference in Washington, DC. The report, “How Policy Makers Can Boost Youth Employment,” underscores this challenge but also offers solutions, detailing the ways in which technology–and specifically mobile phones–can empower youth in the rapidly evolving world of work.
Among the solutions profiled is Souktel’s mobile JobMatch service–featured as part of the new vanguard of tools that can help youth get better labor market information. Describing JobMatch, the report notes that the technology is “cheap enough to become widely used, even among disadvantaged youth or youth in developing countries. It is therefore potentially a tremendous resource in overcoming information and social-connection deficits among disadvantaged young people.”
“We’re honored to be featured in this report,” says Souktel CEO Jacob Korenblum. “Since 2011 we’ve been proud members of a consortium which includes the Manpower Group, as part of a youth employment project in Morocco that’s led by the Education for Employment Foundation. This report reinforces the notion that Manpower is a leader in understanding the staffing and recruitment sector, especially in emerging markets.”
The new report highlights promising initiatives in four areas: Creating jobs and promoting entrepreneurship, helping youth acquire relevant skills, assisting youth’s workforce entry, and developing strategies for scaling career development programs. In preparing the report, Manpower staff interviewed more than 50 practitioners and researchers in the field of youth employment, while also drawing on its own global experience in youth workforce development.
Branka Minic, Manpower’s Director of Global Corporate Affairs, highlights the need for new, innovative solutions to the youth employment challenge in a written release: “We have to find ways to impact young people not in tens, hundreds, or thousands but in millions,” she writes. “It is important to discover strategies that are cost-effective while still proven to generate impact…We hope this study will be a platform for focused discussions with governments, educators, practitioners, and other key stakeholders, and stimulate shared efforts to create new, high-impact partnership initiatives”.