WAPES ON – Future skills for PES counsellors
Webinar Series Highlights (3 February 2026) and Ongoing WAPES Study
On 3 February 2026, WAPES hosted a two-part webinar series to share early insights from the ongoing international research study on the future skills needs of PES counsellors. The sessions brought together research findings, PES member practice examples, and provider perspectives to explore how digitalisation, AI, rising labour market complexity, and increasingly diverse jobseeker needs are reshaping PES service delivery.
Why this matters
Across countries, PES counsellors are spending less time on routine administration and more time on high-trust, high-complexity support. This includes working with jobseekers experiencing multiple and intersecting barriers to employment, mental health challenges, and frequent career transitions. At the same time, digital tools and AI-enabled solutions are increasingly used to streamline processes (e.g., job matching, triage, and case management). This raises the importance of AI literacy, data awareness, and responsible and ethical use—alongside strong human-centred counselling skills.
Webinar 1: Evidence and practice from Germany and South Korea
The first session combined the research overview with practice examples from Germany (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) and South Korea (KEIS), as well as provider perspectives (APM Ingeus). Speakers highlighted the growing need to professionalise skills development and make competencies more visible and usable across organisations. Key messages included the importance of strong foundational digital literacy, practical training that supports day-to-day adoption of AI tools, and structured capability approaches (including onboarding and competence-based development). Participants also emphasised that organisational change must be matched with measures that support counsellor sustainability, such as recognition, wellbeing support, and clear development pathways.
The second session continued the discussion with examples from France (France Travail) and Slovenia (ESS) and additional provider perspectives (Serco). Speakers underlined that the value of digital transformation depends on human impact: technology should reduce administrative workload and enable counsellors to focus on relationship quality and outcomes. Intercultural competence and partnership working were highlighted as increasingly important, particularly where cases require cooperation across services and where counsellors support diverse populations. Ethical and responsible AI use, including governance, transparency, and data protection, was repeatedly identified as essential to maintain trust and ensure fair service delivery.
The ongoing WAPES study
The webinars showcased early findings from WAPES’ ongoing research effort, which is using a Delphi approach to build expert consensus on: (1) the key trends shaping PES work, (2) how tasks, skills, and knowledge requirements for PES counsellors are changing, and (3) what support and development mechanisms will be needed over the coming years. The study combines evidence from research and practice with multiple rounds of expert consultation, allowing WAPES to identify areas of agreement as well as topics where views differ across countries and systems.
Cross-cutting messages
Across both webinars, participants reinforced a shared direction of travel. PES will benefit from investing in foundational digital and data literacy before scaling more advanced AI use; strengthening human-centred counselling skills for complex cases; professionalising learning through structured development pathways and peer learning; embedding responsible AI and data protection into everyday practice; and supporting counsellors through organisational change with clear roles, recognition, and wellbeing measures.
Engagement and next steps
Following the webinars, WAPES circulated a short survey to participants and wider stakeholders. The feedback showed strong interest from members and partners to learn more about the study results and to continue the conversation on how PES counsellors can be supported through skills development, organisational change, and responsible digital transformation. WAPES will share further updates as the research progresses and additional outputs become available. The full research is expected to be launched in May 2026.