Are public employment services ready for the age of artificial intelligence?
In a new white paper, Thierry Huort, a former senior consultant at WAPES for five years seconded by France Travail, calls for a rethink of the role of public employment services in the face of the rise of artificial intelligence. His message is clear: public employment services can no longer merely cushion the impact of labour market transformations; they must also help to anticipate, regulate and guide them.
A contribution to the debate on the future of public employment services
In this publication, Thierry Huort sets out a strategic analysis of the role of public employment services in an economy where the functions of analysis, guidance and coordination are increasingly influenced by AI. The white paper argues that public employment services have a key role to play in preserving social cohesion, supporting career transitions and strengthening public sovereignty in a rapidly changing environment.
A useful read for WAPES members
This publication provides valuable insights to inform the collective debate on the future of employment policies and the role of public institutions in the era of the cognitive transition.
“Last February, whilst listening to an interview with Yoshua Bengio on France Inter, a question that has been the subject of so much debate came to mind once again, but from a new angle: How can we support what Y. Bengio describes as a ‘cognitive transition economy’? As I delved deeper into the international report on AI safety, a conviction took hold: we talk a great deal about technology… but far too little about the institutions that shape the labour market. It was from this reflection that this White Paper was born. In it, I put forward a simple idea: in the face of the cognitive transition, public employment services must become strategic actors in regulation, cohesion and sovereignty. This text is a contribution to the debate and an invitation to think collectively about the role of public employment services in the AI economy.” Thierry Huort.
