Description
Country
Focus area
The REM is a directory which is at the disposal of job-seekers, businesses as well as the AMEF (Analysis of the employment and professions market) and the FOREM IT service (FOREM being Wallonia's public service provider for employment and vocational training). To better enable the mobility of Belgian workers, numerous cooperation agreements have been signed in relation to different regions of Belgium. Furthermore, in developing the REM, collaborations are also taken up with different sectors so to better reflect the situation on the ground. Ultimately this Directory serves to identify the current employment and professions situation in Wallonia.
Link
Reference/weblink
Implementation level
At what level is the initiative implemented?
Regional
Legal base
Legal base (E.g. Law, regulation, implementing provision, other)
Developed by UNIPSO which is an intersectoral confederation of private and public employers from the social sector of Wallonia and Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Article 3 of the UNIPSO statute defines its goals which could be a basis for the development of REM (Statute link (in French): http://www.unipso.be/IMG/pdf/statuts_unipso_ag_23-05-2014.pdf)
Starting period
TIMESPAN: In what year did the initiative commence?
Specific year that initiative became operational is unclear. Before the REM, the French 'Répertoire Opérationnel de Métiers et des Emplois' (ROME, translating to the Operational Directory of Employment and Trades/Professions) seems to have been relied on
Perspective
PERSPECTIVE: is the initiative based on evidence derived from skill forecasts or foresight activities?
As a directory of varied employment positions and professions, the REM can be based on both quantitative and qualitative data which corresponds to skill forecasts and foresight activities respectively
Policy area
To which POLICY AREAS(s) does the initiative apply?
Funding
How it is funded?
Funded by regional government
Skill mismatch
Skill mismatch target
What type(s) of skills MISMATCH does the initiative aim to addresses?
By gathering data on job seekers' skills and employers' offers, most, if not all, the mismatches hereby provided are addressed. This is the REM provides an overall picture of qualifications, shortages, gaps, and developing labour market offers.
Overqualification (individuals' qualifications/credentials are above their job's needs)
Underqualification (individuals' qualifications/credentials are below their job's needs)
Skill shortages (employers cannot fill their vacancies due to a lack of skills in the labour market)
Skill gaps (worker's skills are below the level of proficiency required by their employers and jobs)
Skills obsolescence (some or all of an individual's skills are no longer relevant to the current employer or in the labour market generally)
Skills matching focus
How does the initiative address skills mismatches?
Directory keeps track of both, job-seekers' skills and competences; as well as, employers' requirements and job-offers which enables better skills matching
Skills delivered
What types of skill does the initiative deliver?
Job search skills
But only indirectly as REM is not explicitly aimed at bettering skills
Career management skills
But only indirectly as REM is not explicitly aimed at bettering skills
Methods
Methods
What methods of undertaking skills assessments and / or skills anticipation does the policy instrument utilise?
Real-time labour market information (e.g. big data analysis of job advertisements, CVs)
The REM is a directory based on varied nomenclatures which can be used by both job seekers and employers alike in the development of individual 'job seeker' profiles and job offers respectively, hence providing real time labour market data and information.
Use of skills intelligence
How is labour market information / skills intelligence used within the initiative?
The REM can be used by individual service providers who assist job-seekers. As such, it is a LMI tool that enables the development of individuals' profiles and better assists them in their job-searches
Employers and enterprises also have access to the REM which enables them to use LMI to develop job offers or present new positions (which are not necessarily included in the REM).
Stakeholders
Main responsible body
Main body or organisation with overall responsibility for the initiative.
Social partner: employer organisation
UNIPSO, Representative Confederation of Social Employers and Enterprises
Regional PES
FOREM (Wallonia PES) assists in grouping REM activities on the basis of competences and interacts with varied sectors to validate Rem files
Other involved organisations
Which other organisations have a role in the initiative?
Social partner: employer organisation
UNIPSO is composed of and supported by 29 employers' federations which assist in the general activities of the confederation which includes the REM
Regional PES
ACTRIS (Brussels PES), ADG (German community PES) and VDAB (Flemish PES) collaborate with UNIPSO to gather cross-regional data
Other
Varied sector specific actors are consulted (as conducted by FOREM) to build up and validate REM files
Beneficiaries
Who are the intended beneficiaries?
Other
Overall/general job seekers and employers in the social sector - data on how REM benefits these stakeholders is presently unavailable but based on the intended goals presented, this directory should enable job seekers to better present their skills and competences in relation to labour market requirements, and employers to continuously update what skills and competences they require for specific jobs
Sustainability
Success factors
SUCCESS FACTORS in the implementation
Main success factors for this initiative relate to the propagation of the REM system. Accordingly it is being used by numerous individual service providers, business service providers, and regional PESs, for the development of individual job-seeker profiles, the provision of job offers and the creation of job offer databases respectively.
Monitoring and evaluation
MONITORING and EVALUATION: Is progress measured regularly? What are the indicators used to measure progress of the policy instrument? Have any evaluations been conducted?
Measuring the progress of the REM initiative is rather limited. To consider its success, one should consult all the service providers which rely on the REM system. Presently, the REM has been characterised as a replacement for the precedent ROME meaning that it has taken its place as a main initiative. Policy evaluations and impact assessments do not seem to have been conducted yet.
Updates
UPDATES: whether there have been any major updates of the initiative since it has been implemented?
No
The REM directory is updated regularly with jobs, professional positions, trades, etc.
Sustainability
SUSTAINABILITY: How sustainable is the policy instrument? Do you expect the instrument to continue over the next few years and why?
As a system that is relied on by service providers to job-seekers (to create their profiles and present job offers) and employers (to better identify job offers and present new positions), and as it is continuously updated, the REM is very sustainable.
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