“Working”What has been achieved since Paris?

EUFASA 25th ConferencePrag, April 26-29, 2009

EUFASA: Why “WORKING”?

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EUFASA: Why “WORKING”?

• “The majority of women of working age (55.7%) now have a paid job (..). In Denmark and Sweden, the employment rate for women is over 70%.”

• “The dual earner household is now the norm. The relative position of the family in terms of income and status no more depends on the earnings of the “male breadwinner”, but on the earning power of both partners and the long term stability of their relationship.”

In “Europe's social reality”, by Roger Liddle and Frederic Lerais, A consultation paper from the bureau of European policy advisers, Feb. 26, 2007

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EUFASA: Why “WORKING”?

• Spouses/partners of transferable employees want to keep on working despite transfer policy

• Career of the spouse/partner becomes a major concern for MFAs in Europe* – Recruitment/Retention tool for diplomats

• After a break dedicated to representative tasks and family, spouses/partners may wish to resume their career

* Third International HR-Directors’ Conference, September 2008 in Thun/Switzerland

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EUFASA: Why “WORKING”?

• Spouses/partners especially want to work when back home*

• As a consequence, at the EUFASA Conference 2008 in Paris, it has been decided to broaden the activities of this working group beyond the job data base project and rename it « Working » :– To identify the main topics & issues faced by spouses

& partners of transferable employees– To find appropriate solutions

* “home” is meant here = country of origin of the transferable employee

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“WORKING”: who’s who

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“WORKING 2009” main files

• Health insurance (France): – How not to loose health insurance when working abroad– How to get the earning limit raised

• Training (Greece): – To put together a self training programme– To provide help to first posters and to those returning

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“WORKING 2009” main files

• Good preparation for local job market (Finland): – How to write CVs – How to market ourselves in the job market – How to have successful interviews

• How to remain employable (Austria):– Continuous education at home and abroad

• EUFASA Certificate (Switzerland)

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EUFASA Certificate

• A Certificate aiming to describe and qualify what a EUFASA delegate achieves during her/his mandate

• A Certificate duly signed by the EUFASA President and the President of the national association

Drafting a Certificate to qualify and describe what a spouse/partner achieves during her/his

representation tasks when posted abroad (signed by the Ambassador/Head of HR department)

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“WORKING”: files from 2008

• EUFASA Directory of European job search web sites• Monitoring of Goinglobal trial period• Partnership between EUFASA and Adecco?

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EUFASA Directory of European job search web sites

• 19 EUFASA members selected in their country web based job search tools

EUFASA Directory of European job search web sites, providing spouses/partners

with useful links• The Directory is meant to be nothing else but a first

step in a job inquiry• The Directory is available on EUFASA website.

Make the Directory accessible to your members by uploading it onto your national web site !

• Web site provider of country specific employment & career information

• Trial period free of charge for the EUFASA members, from April 24th to December 31st 2008

• seized the opportunity offered during the trial: Germany, Portugal and Switzerland

• Mary Ann Thompson, President of Goinglobal: “Usage by the three groups that did provide the database to their members was almost zero. I do not think that the system was ever advertised within the groups.”

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• Why Adecco?– Swiss company, present world-wide– Offering job vacancies in (almost) all economic sectors

• In 2008, a partnership between Adecco and ACF/VEEDA (Switzerland) has been established:– Members have a privileged access to Adecco’s country

representative in charge of ACF/VEEDA members in 46 countries.

– This contact person is better receptive to the applications of accompanying persons looking for a job, i.e. aware of the rather unusual CV of accompanying persons

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Conclusions

• Spouses/partners of transferable employees want to combine their own professional career and postings abroad

• EUFASA and national associations must take into consideration this issue and– help our members within our means– assist them in their job search– favor solutions free of charge for spouses/partners– keep on informing MFAs about this issue

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Next steps

• Establish the agenda for 2010• Define the roles within “Working”• Appoint a Chairperson

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Thank you very much for your attention !

ACF/VEEDA, Switzerland

EUFASA ConferencePrag, April 26-28, 2009