Published on 15th December 2023
End-of-year meetings for trade associations are always packed with institutional matters like yearly reporting, budget approval and work programming. But there was a celebratory vibe in the air at the General Assembly of the World Employment Confederation (WEC) on 14 December as the organisation made several decisions that put it on an ambitious and exciting path for the next three years.
Alongside the adoption of a new Strategic Plan that will notably put a strong focus on the promotion of quality standards within the industry, WEC members endorsed the membership application of Engma, the first-ever Chinese company to join the global organisation as a Corporate Member. Nichole Zhu, Director for Government and Public Relations, will be the company representative on WEC’s Board.
The General Assembly also backed the change in the National Federation representing Germany, as the GVP (the Gesamtverband der Personaldienstleister) was formed following the merger of BAP and iGZ, the two associations representing staffing companies in the country. Membership status also changed for Kelly following the sale of its European staffing activities to GiGroup Holding. The US-based company now stands as a Global MSP pure player.
On a less positive note, WEC members registered the resignation of AETT, Peru’s National Federation, and it accepted the request for suspension of membership of FAETT, one of the National Federations in Argentina, due to considerations linked to the country’s challenging economic climate.
Board reshuffle completed
The General Assembly also completed the renewal of WEC’s Board, started in September with the election of the leadership trio as well as several Board members. Besides the abovementioned election of Nichole Zhu from Engma, three additional members will join WEC’s Board for the first time: Caroline Pfeiffer, as representative of the Manpower Group; Jurriën Koops (ABU / The Netherlands), Andrea Resigkeit (GVP / Germany) and Mohamed El Derwy (Target HR / Egypt) as regular Board members.
Pam Sands from Kelly will take a different mandate and become the chair of the Corporate Members Committee. Geraldine King (ERF / Ireland) got a renewal of her appointment as chair of the National Federations Committee. At the same time, Alfred Budschitz (Agest / Chile) was also re-elected as a regular Board member. Mandates on WEC’s Board last three years.
Following all these changes, the World Employment Confederation is ready to address the numerous challenges that lie ahead for the HR services industry. Skilling, work mobility, digitalisation… the sector offers many solutions to labour market challenges. However, efforts remain required to raise the industry profile and ensure adequate regulation. Undoubtedly, with this diverse and engaged membership, the World Employment Confederation is fully equipped to take on 2024!
For an overview of WEC’s Board, please visit our dedicated webpage.
