Adecco staff reached more than half a million people in 50 countries

Last Tuesday, over 10,000 Adecco employees in 50 countries, organized more than 1,000 actions in over 500 cities around the globe. Reaching more than half a million youngsters in the streets, in public places, at schools and universities, they offered career guidance and free training workshops to support them in their job search and improve their employability.

Given the current, dramatic employment prospects for young people – globally, almost 300 million 15 to 24 year-olds are unemployed or inactive and the Eurozone youth unemployment rate again hit a record-high of 24% – Adecco employees worldwide gave a helping hand to school leavers and graduates in their search for a job; a particularly challenging task in today’s tough labour market environment. Driven by the belief that access to work is a fundamental right, over 10,000 Adecco employees in 50 countries kicked off the Adecco Way to Work™ programme on April 30 and took to the streets, visited nearly 300 schools and universities to offer career advice, guidance and free training workshops.

Adecco Group CEO, Patrick de Maeseneire, himself on the streets leading Adecco Way to Work™ activities at Brussels main station and on the streets of Aalst, Gent and Bruges in Belgium, commented:

“The positive echo I received from the Adecco Way to Work™ street day here in Brussels and the three other Belgian cities I visited confirmed that we’re doing the right thing. Young people have a clear need for advice, information and support in their job search. I’m happy that we made a contribution to a young generation that is struggling to find work.”

In total, Adecco estimates that well over half a million young people were reached on 30 April alone.10,000 Adecco employees were involved in over 1,000 street day activities and over 2,000 branches held open days. In total, over 20,000 coaching sessions have been held or scheduled. The Adecco Way to Work™ website registered a million visitors to its coaching websites. With its global scope, the Street Day is a symbolic act which can only inspire concerted action from governments, businesses and individuals alike. More flexible labour markets, reform of education systems and young people’s willingness to accept temporary job assignments or job opportunities abroad are essential requisites to overcome the current job crisis.

It is also clear that young people must be better equipped with the right hard and soft skills that today’s businesses are crying out for. That’s where Adecco comes in – we help bridge this skills mismatch by providing guidance and training. The lack of job experience counts strongly against new entrants to the job market. Temporary work can help youngsters to take their first step onto the career ladder. They can start to build up that much-needed experience through a variety of jobs.

With this in mind – and as part of the Adecco Way to Work™ programme – Adecco has also launched Around the World in 80 Jobs™, a scheme aimed at younger people. It is designed to show that life experiences and job experiences go hand in hand.

Based on a selection process channelled through the Adecco Way to Work™ website, Adecco will give 8 youngsters the chance to travel and experience the world of work in 80 different jobs around the world this summer. Their journeys and experiences each in 10 jobs will be shared with the Adecco Way to Work™ community via social media, day by day, job by job.