Global Compact International Yearbook 2015

AdeCCO Group
SaYING ‘Yes’ Together to
FIGHt Unemployment
In 2012, the French economy had been stagnant for close to five years. The country’s economic
and social position was severe, from the decline of industry and the state of public finances to
the number one concern of the French people: unemployment, which was at a 15-year high.
Adecco, the leading provider of HR solutions globally and in France, was determined to tackle
the problem head on, by launching a three-year job-creation initiative: ‘La Chaîne du OUI’.
The aim? To create 270,000 sustainable new jobs, motivating clients, our employees, and other
organizations across France to step up to the challenge.
By Lilian Furrer, Adecco Group
By 2013, France was still in the midst of
an economic crisis. The growth forecast
was 0.3 percent for the year, considerably
less than the 1 percent to 1.5 percent
minimum needed to create jobs. Unemployment
had risen to 10.2 percent at
the end of 2012, crossing the 10 percent
threshold for the first time since mid-
1999. The picture for young people was
particularly bleak. Youth unemployment
(ages 15 - 24) had reached a record 25.7
percent, resulting in 730,000 youngsters
without jobs.
It seemed an unlikely time for Groupe
Adecco France to launch ‘La Chaîne
du OUI’, a national initiative to create
270,000 long-term jobs in just 36
months. As Alain Dehaze, Regional Head
of France, explained: “Adecco’s priority is
to contribute to job creation, the reduction
of unemployment and the further
integration of people into jobs.”
It may seem paradoxical that Adecco,
which makes most of its revenues from
temporary work, launched a program
for long-term employment. Yet for many
people, temporary work provides a stepping-stone
toward gaining work experience
and a permanent position. That is
why Groupe Adecco France took up the
challenge to bring employers together
to address and combat unemployment –
by collaborating through skills training,
employment advice, mentoring and, of
course, concrete job placements.
Uniting people and organizations
‘La Chaîne du OUI’ was launched on
January 17, 2013, with a call to action
to employers across France to say “yes”
to creating jobs. The overall target of
270,000 jobs was broken down into three
priorities: to create 40,000 positions for
vulnerable people at the edge of exclusion,
to find permanent employment
for 130,000 temporary workers, and to
provide a job for 100,000 youngsters.
These three priorities all contribute to
UN Global Compact Principle 6: “The
elimination of discrimination in respect
of employment and occupation.”
By the end of 2013, 110 employers had
already signed up to ‘La Chaîne du OUI’,
from small local businesses to large multinationals.
Most importantly, more than
71,700 jobs had been created, equating
to 26.5 percent of the target. “The fantastic
progress we have made so far is
tangible proof that, with the support
and engagement of our partners in ‘La
Chaîne du OUI’, we can work together
to reduce unemployment significantly
and promote the integration of people
into employment,” says Alain Dehaze.
Fast forward another 12 months to December
2014 and the number of employers
had rocketed to 1,300, and more than
150,000 people had been helped into
sustainable employment.
Power of partnership
One of the big names to join the movement
was L’Oréal, the world’s largest
cosmetics company. It partnered with
Adecco and IGS University to create a
‘retail academy’ for its sales force. Adecco
helped to source and recruit 30 candidates
from sensitive urban zones for the
roles, while IGS University put together
a specific training program that covered
both the sales skills L’Oréal was looking
for, and an in-depth understanding of
the company’s values and approach to
doing business.
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Global Compact International Yearbook 2015