Adecco Staff Reached More Than Half a Million People

AsiaNet 52889

ZURICH, May 2 , 2013/ PRN=KYODO JBN/--

     - Launch of Around the World in 80 Jobs(TM) to give young people the  

    chance to gain international work experience and inspire their generation

    On Tuesday, over 10,000 Adecco employees in 50 countries, organized more

than 1,000 actions in over 500 cities around the globe. Reaching more than half

a million youngsters in the streets, in public places, at schools and

universities, they offered career guidance and free training workshops to

support them in their job search and improve their employability.

    Given the current, dramatic employment prospects for young people -

globally, almost 300 million 15 to 24 year-olds are unemployed or inactive and

the Eurozone youth unemployment rate again hit a record-high of 24% - Adecco

employees worldwide gave a helping hand to school leavers and graduates in

their search for a job; a particularly challenging task in today's tough labour

market environment. Driven by the belief that access to work is a fundamental

right, over 10,000 Adecco employees in 50 countries kicked off the Adecco Way

to Work(TM) programme on April 30 and took to the streets, visited nearly 300

schools and universities to offer career advice, guidance and free training

workshops.

    Adecco Group CEO, Patrick de Maeseneire, himself on the streets leading

Adecco Way to Work(TM) activities at Brussels main station and on the streets

of Aalst, Gent and Bruges in Belgium, commented:

    "The positive echo I received from the Adecco Way to Work(TM) street day

here in Brussels and the three other Belgian cities I visited confirmed that

we're doing the right thing. Young people have a clear need for advice,

information and support in their job search. I'm happy that we made a

contribution to a young generation that is struggling to find work."

    In total, Adecco estimates that well over half a million young people were

reached on 30 April alone.10,000 Adecco employees were involved in over 1,000

street day activities and over 2,000 branches held open days. In total, over

20,000 coaching sessions have been held or scheduled. The Adecco Way to

Work(TM) website registered a million visitors to its coaching websites. With

its global scope, the Street Day is a symbolic act which can only inspire

concerted action from governments, businesses and individuals alike. More

flexible labour markets, reform of education systems and young people's

willingness to accept temporary job assignments or job opportunities abroad are

essential requisites to overcome the current job crisis.

    It is also clear that young people must be better equipped with the right

hard and soft skills that today's businesses are crying out for. That's where

Adecco comes in - we help bridge this skills mismatch by providing guidance and

training. The lack of job experience counts strongly against new entrants to

the job market. Temporary work can help youngsters to take their first step

onto the career ladder. They can start to build up that much-needed experience

through a variety of jobs.

    With this in mind - and as part of the Adecco Way to Work(TM) programme -

Adecco has also launched Around the World in 80 Jobs(TM), a scheme aimed at

younger people. It is designed to show that life experiences and job

experiences go hand in hand.

    Based on a selection process channelled through the Adecco Way to Work(TM)

website, Adecco will give 8 youngsters the chance to travel and experience the

world of work in 80 different jobs around the world this summer. Their journeys

and experiences each in 10 jobs will be shared with the Adecco Way to Work(TM)

community via social media, day by day, job by job.

    Go to http://www.adeccowaytowork.com to find out more and apply for Around

the World in 80 Jobs(TM) now!

    Adecco Way to Work(TM) resources

    Main programme website: http://www.adeccowaytowork.com

    Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/AdeccoWaytoWork

    Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AdeccoWayToWork

    YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/AdeccoWaytoWork

    About the Adecco Group

    The Adecco Group, based in Zurich, Switzerland, is the world's leading

provider of HR solutions. With around 32,000 FTE employees and around 5,400

branches, in over 60 countries and territories around the world, Adecco Group

offers a wide variety of services, connecting close to 700,000 associates with

over 100,000 clients every day. The services offered fall into the broad

categories of temporary staffing, permanent placement, career transition and

talent development, as well as outsourcing and consulting. The Adecco Group is

a Fortune Global 500 company.

    Adecco S.A. is registered in Switzerland (ISIN: CH0012138605) and listed on

the SIX Swiss Exchange (ADEN).

    For further information please contact:

    Adecco Corporate Press Office

    Press.office@adecco.com or

    +41-(0)-44-878-87-87

    SOURCE: Adecco Group