The term of office is two years and begins at the turn of the year. She succeeds Spiros Protopsaltis from the Greek employment agency DYPA. After Frank-Jürgen Weise (2014–2016), Ahuja is only the second German representative to head the PES network.

“Demographic trends, transformation, and economic and geopolitical uncertainties do not stop at national borders. During my term of office, I would like to further advance the network in the areas of digitalization and inclusion and align the decision-making processes of European employment policy even more closely with the interests of employment services. I am also delighted that Thibaut Guilluy, President of France Travail, the French employment agency, has been elected deputy chair. This strong Franco-German dual leadership will work together to further develop and strengthen the European PES network," says Vanessa Ahuja, Executive Director for International Affairs.

What is the PES Network?

The PES Network is an association of public employment services from all EU member states as well as Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and the European Commission.

The aim is to coordinate joint approaches and support each other in further development. The network relies on continuous benchlearning – a combination of benchmarking and mutual learning: With the support of the European Commission, experts from labor market administrations evaluate and analyze the performance of individual organizations and identify strengths and weaknesses. Successful approaches thus become visible and usable throughout Europe.

Ensuring the future of the PES network

The legal basis for the PES network is an EU regulation, and its mandate is currently limited until the end of 2027. In a period of political, economic, and demographic uncertainty, the members are working to extend the mandate.