PESPod - the insiders' guide to the EU labour market (pespodeu)

About PESPod - the insiders' guide to the EU labour market (pespodeu)

The PES podcast has the latest exciting news on the work of the Public Employment Services (PES) in the EU. The monthly podcasts are produced by the European PES Network, with the financing support of the European Union. PES experts and researchers discuss a current labour market topic for everyone with an interest in the European labour market

Publisher

Directorate-General for Employment, social affairs and inclusion

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

16 May 2024

Latest episode

26 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

28 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   26 Aug 2026

   Empowering change from within: Lessons from Lithuania's ReStart initiative

   The latest episode of PESPod, the podcast of the European Network of Public Employment Services (PES Network), explores how Lithuania's Employment Service is giving frontline staff greater responsibility to respond to local needs and drive organisational change. As labour markets continue to evolve, Public Employment Services (PES) across Europe are finding new ways to respond to changing customer expectations and specific regional priorities. Lithuania's ReStart initiative is one example, giving local teams the freedom to identify challenges, develop solutions and share successful practices across the organisation. In this episode, host David Poyser is joined by Liudas Dapkus, Public Relations Advisor at the Lithuanian Employment Service. Liudas explains why ReStart was launched, the challenges encountered during implementation and how the initiative encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing across local offices. The episode highlights several initiatives and best practices developed through ReStart, including reverse mediation in Klaipėda, where employer service specialists take a more active role in supporting recruitment, joint employer visits by consultants and employer specialists in Kaunas to strengthen employer relationships and improve job matching, and a dedicated local call centre model in Vilnius that reduces interruptions for frontline advisers while improving customer service. Key topics discussed include: How empowering teams helps drive innovation: Greater responsibility at a local level encourages teams to identify challenges, test new approaches and contribute ideas that improve services. Successful practices from locally developed approaches can be implemented across the wider organisation. Local offices have the flexibility to develop approaches that reflect regional labour market needs, while successful practices can be shared and implemented across the wider organisation. Creating a culture of trust, ownership and collaboration. Fostering a greater sense of ownership among staff has strengthened engagement, encouraged knowledge sharing and helped create a more collaborative organisational culture. Lessons for other PES Lithuania’s experience shows how giving local teams greater ownership, sharing successful local solutions can improve service delivery across PES. Further information: Click here to listen to the full episode of PESPod #28: Empowering change from within: Lessons from Lithuania's ReStart initiative. If you have any comments about this episode or would like to suggest future topics, write to: EMPL-PES-SECRETARIAT@ec.europa.eu The PES Network Knowledge Centre and PES Practices database also have a wide range of information and inspiring practices on the organisation and services of Public Employment Services across Europe. Get the latest updates from the PES Network Get the PES Network’s latest news, events and publications on its priority topics for 2026. Sign up to receive the PES Network newsletter! You can also follow the latest developments from PES Network members in the PES Network LinkedIn group. Click here join.

2. 

   5 May 2026

   Predicting the skills of the future

   The latest episode of PESPod, the podcast of the European Network of Public Employment Services (PES Network), explores how PES are helping jobseekers and employers prepare for the skills needed in tomorrow’s labour market.Across Europe, the triple transitions of digitalisation, demographic change and the greening of the labour market are reshaping job requirements. This episode examines how PES are responding with stronger skills intelligence, better data analysis and more responsive training programmes.In this episode, host David Poyser is joined by Sophia Cooper (Head of Training) and Gabriele Marconi (Data Scientist) from Luxembourg’s PES, ADEM (Agence pour le développement de l'emploi). Together, they discuss how ADEM are utilising data science and algorithms are used to identify and analyse skills in the Luxembourg labour market and how the outcomes are informing the design of training programmes to meet employer needs.Gabriele outlines how skills-based matching is being introduced to give a clearer picture of what jobseekers can offer and what employers need. He describes how ADEM’s algorithms extract skills from open vacancies and feed into the jobinsights.lu platform, which tracks trends across occupations and sectors. Meanwhile Sophia outlines how combining both quantitative and qualitative intelligence can shape reskilling and upskilling programmes and gives example of how ADEM are using the insights to quickly adapt to employer needs.The episode also explores the lessons learned, examples of programmes developed as a result of data insights and how PES can adopt a shift to skills-based approaches.Key topics discussed include:1. Upskilling and reskilling in a changing labour market in LuxembourgDigitalisation, the uptake of AI and wider economic shifts are driving changes across most occupations. Some IT specialisms are shrinking in while others, such as cybersecurity and data science, are expanding, highlighting the need for continuous skills development.2. Skills-based matching to better reflect labour market needsADEM is moving towards skills-based matching to improve the relevance of job recommendations. By combining occupations, qualifications and skills the PES can help jobseekers and employers identify opportunities more precisely, particularly where jobseekers have transversal skills that apply across roles or sectors.3. Data-driven tools to support skills intelligence and inform training designADEM uses algorithms to extract skills data from open vacancies and combines these insights with wider labour market information, vacancy trends and the Luxembourg shortage occupation list to support evidence-based decision making.4. Agility, collaboration and a shared mindset to support a skills-based approachA shift towards skills-based methods requires flexibility, cross-team collaboration and continuous dialogue with stakeholders and employers. Data driven approaches are most effective when combined with human insight and the ability to adapt quickly.

3. 

   29 Jan 2026

   From National to Local - Finland’s TE24 Reform

   The latest episode of PESPod – the podcast of the European Network of Public Employment Services (PES Network) – focuses on Finland which has recently undergone significant structural changes. Finland’s TE Services 2024 (TE24) reform, which came into force in January 2025, transferred responsibility for public employment services from the national level to municipalities and employment areas formed by municipalities. This new PESPod episode brings listeners inside the transition and examines what the reform means for jobseekers, employers and local authorities. In the episode, host David Poyser speaks with two guests at the centre of the process. Tiina Korhonen, Director General of the Finnish Public Employment Service, outlines the national context for the reform, including recent labour market challenges and the strategic motivations for decentralising responsibility. She explains how bringing services closer to citizens, integrating employment services with education and business support, and strengthening regional vitality were core aims of the new model. Joining her is Jaakko Westerlund, Head of Employment and Integration Services at the KEHA Centre, the organisation supporting municipalities as they deliver the reformed system. He describes the role of the KEHA Centre in providing guidance, maintaining key IT platforms, supporting staff preparation ahead of the changes and ensuring that municipalities have the tools they need to deliver effective services. Throughout the discussion, both guests share early lessons from the implementation and reflect on what other PES can take from Finland’s experience. Key topics discussed include: • Labour market challenges shaped the need for reform Finland entered the reform with high unemployment, falling vacancies and rising long term joblessness. This context informed the decision to reorganise employment services and make them more responsive to local needs. • Decentralisation is intended to bring services closer to citizens The TE 24 reform transfers responsibility to municipalities and employment areas, enabling services to be tailored to regional needs and integrated with education, business support and wider municipal services. • Communication, staff preparation and coordinated support were essential for implementation Internal guidelines, information events, webinars, national campaigns and structured transition programmes supported the preparation phase. The KEHA Centre provided legal guidance, digital tools, performance monitoring and competence development to help municipalities assume new responsibilities. • Time, trust and careful sequencing are key lessons Early implementation highlighted the importance of realistic timelines, thorough planning and strong cooperation across all levels of the PES. Undertaking IT and service reform simultaneously increased complexity, reinforcing the value of phased and well-coordinated change. Further information: If you have any comments about this episode or would like to suggest future topics, write to: EMPL-PES-SECRETARIAT@ec.europa.eu. Get the latest updates from the PES Network. Get the PES Network’s latest news, events and publications on its priority topics for 2025-2026. Sign up to receive the PES Network newsletter! You can also follow the latest developments from PES Network members in the PES Network LinkedIn group. Click here to join.

Podcast Authority Score: 11 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

22

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

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Guest appearances

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Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.