Disclaimer:
Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed. It consists of personal reflections, insights, and learnings of the contributor(s). It may not be exhaustive, nor does it aim to be authoritative knowledge.
Title
Please provide a name for your action learning plan.
Job Fest 2023: Bridging the Gap Between Lao PDR's Youth and Employers
Challenge statement
Challenge type: If you are working on multiple challenges, please indicate if this is your "big bet" or "exploratory" challenge.
Please note: we ask you to only submit a maximum of 3 challenges - 1x Big Bet, 2x Exploratory. Each challenge must be submitted individually.
BIG BET
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
Our challenge is that, we had noticed that job fairs were not very effective at connecting employers with potential employees. We wanted to try something different.
Background: What is the history of your challenge? What is causing or driving it? Who is involved? How does the current situation look like? What undesired effects does it produce?
Lao PDR is a country with one of the youngest populations in the Asia Pacific. The issue of youth unemployment has been a critical and continuing concern for the Government of Lao PDR. Despite implementing policies and undertaking projects to bolster job opportunities, youth unemployment remains high and has increased during the Covid-19 period to around 25%. Recently, UNDP launched the 6th National Human Development Report on “youth as drivers for sustainable development”. One of the main issues that the report highlighted is youth employment and one of the recommendations is to invest in employment services.
The job fairs, as they are currently organized, do not maximize the opportunities for job seekers to apply for a job or get a job during the fair. They tend to focus rather on employers seeking to promote their companies/organizations, products, and services.
Quantitative evidence: What (official) data sources do you have on this challenge that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge? You can add text, a link, or a picture.
https://www.undp.org/laopdr/publications/6th-national-human-development-report-nhdr-youth-drivers-sustainable-development
Qualitative evidence: What weak signals have you recently spotted that characterizes its urgency? Please provide qualitative information that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge. You can add text, a link, or a picture.
Value proposition: What added value or unique value proposition is your Accelerator Lab bringing to solving this challenge? Why is it your Lab that needs to work on this challenge and not other actors within UNDP, other stakeholders in the country respectively? Why is it worth investing resources to this challenge?
The Lab has brought new ideas of different ways to organize a job fair by refocusing the “job fair” to give opportunities for job seekers to explore the diversity of jobs available, to connect with employers, to broaden their knowledge of the job market, how to access job opportunities and to apply for a job during the fair.
So what did we do differently this time? Firstly, we worked with employees in advance of the event to explain to them how the event would be run and get job vacancies from them in advance. We wanted to better understand in advance their needs, rather than just invite to show up on the day. We also wanted employers to better prepare for the event, by developing in advance attractive communication materials.
Secondly, we disseminated the job vacancies through different platforms in advance of the event, so that potentially interested young people could familiarize themselves with them and prepare themselves for the big day.
Thirdly, we asked the young people who registered for the event to upload their CV on the platform before the event so we could check the CVs in advance and make them available in one platform. This means that young people didn’t need to share paper copies of their CV during the event and employers only needed their ID numbers to check their CV on the platform.
Finally, we organized a number of activities around the JobFest to help young people improve their CV writing skills and 21st century skills. We also organized panel discussions with various topics related to recent trends in the job market, HR trends, etc. was a three-day job fair designed to provide young job seekers and fresh graduates with a unique opportunity to connect with employers, explore a wide variety of jobs, learn how to access job opportunities, and apply for jobs during the fair.
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
JobFest reinvented! We created a dynamic space for young job seekers to explore careers, connect with employers & ace their applications. No more paper resumes, prepped employers & tons of career workshops!
Partners
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the partner:
1. 108Jobs
2. Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare
3. 70+ employers (more than 95% is private sector)
What sector does our partner belong to?
Private Sector
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
We worked with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare and 108 Jobs (one of the leading employment services providers in Lao PDR) to co-design and co-create a new type of job fair.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
1. How can job fairs be designed to address the specific needs of young job seekers in Lao PDR?
2. What specific job fair elements or activities could effectively incentivize employers to offer actual job opportunities and accept applications during the event, shifting the focus from mere company promotion?
3. How can technology be leveraged within JobFest to bridge the gap between job seekers' skill sets and employers' needs, ultimately leading to successful job placements?
4. How can stakeholders beyond employers and job seekers, such as government agencies, training providers, and NGOs, be strategically involved in JobFest to create a more comprehensive ecosystem for youth employment support
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Explore, Test
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Collaboratively designing and implementing the new job fair model with key stakeholders – experts in the job market and youth development – enabled us to prioritize core elements that delivered impactful outcomes.
Impactful outcomes for:
- Youth seeking jobs: Improved access to relevant opportunities and streamlined application processes.
- Employers seeking talent: Efficient matchmaking with qualified candidates and reduced recruitment costs.
- Government agencies: Deeper understanding of current job market trends and data-driven policy decisions.
- Training institutions: Insights into employer skills demand, informing curriculum development to better meet market needs.
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
The job fair leverages new data from both job seekers and employers to create a more efficient and targeted matching platform.
From job seekers: We collect rich information, including resumes and skills, to create detailed profiles.
From employers: We gather data on their hiring needs, including employment policies (e.g., inclusive hiring, part-time options, internships), available positions, and specific job requirements.
Closing
Early leads to grow: Think about the possible grow phase for this challenge - who might benefit from your work on this challenge or who might be the champions in your country that you should inform or collaborate with early on to help you grow this challenge?
The next learning question of this challenge is:
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8Decent work and economic growth
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