Knowledge from WCC/APAC Public Employment Service roundtable
Utrecht – NL, August 4, 2021. The WCC Group, a leading provider of advanced solutions for Public Employment Services and Staffing Agencies and ID/Security government agencies, has emphasized its commitment to supporting Public Employment Services (PES) worldwide as they tackle the long-term and emerging challenges around job creation and workforce development that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated.
As part of this commitment, WCC hosted a virtual roundtable with senior representatives from the Public Employment Services of Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The participants shared their insights and thoughts on the APAC pandemic labor market and how their respective countries have overseen shifts in their labor market strategies.
The experiences of each APAC country represented at the roundtable have been influenced by a variety of economic and social factors. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed several profound economic challenges, underlining the high percentage of informal unemployment and existing barriers to digital technologies. It has also called attention to rising gender inequality.
Across the region, long-term strategic and data-driven initiatives are needed to ensure resilient communities and economies. Financial support packages and furlough schemes have helped, but only represented short-term fixes. Moreover, as the labor market continues to evolve, public employment solutions will be needed more than ever, including robust digital transformation strategies.
While changing cultural perceptions of the APAC workforce and other socioeconomic factors clearly play a part in tackling labor market challenges, the panel agreed that technology plays a critical and transformative role in preparing Public Employment Services in the APAC region for the future.
“Technological solutions, from PES digital platforms to virtual interviews, have already helped alleviate some of the challenges brought to the APAC labor market by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the roundtable, it was heartening to hear how each country is overcoming various obstacles and we look forward to continuing our partnerships with public bodies in the region to support the enablement of a sustainable labor market that works in everyone’s best interests.”
Kong Ban Yip, WCC’s APAC VP of Sales
About Software Combined
Software Combined is an international group that invests in successful B2B tech companies with a long-term vision. The company, originally Australian, was founded by three Dutch entrepreneurs (Niek Hoogenhout, Evert den Hollander, and Stefan Jansen) and manages its European operations from Amsterdam.
Software Combined's approach differs fundamentally from traditional investors. Preserving culture and autonomy is central: acquired companies retain their own brand, management team, and daily operational independence.
Software Combined acts as a strategic partner, providing resources that support sustainable growth. These resources include capital for growth, shared expertise in international expansion, refining go-to-market strategies, and professionalizing processes.
This "buy-and-hold" strategy allows companies to focus on long-term value creation without the pressure of a forced exit. Software Combined is building a community of like-minded tech companies that want to grow.
About Avedon Capital Partners
Avedon Capital Partners is a leading private equity firm with offices in Amsterdam and Düsseldorf. Avedon supports growth companies in the Benelux and DACH regions and works closely with entrepreneurial management teams to accelerate organic growth, international expansion, and buy-and-build strategies. The investments are focussed in four core sectors: business services, software & technology, smart industry, and consumer & health.
About WCC Group
Since its founding in 1996, WCC Group has been a pioneer for nearly three decades, providing intelligent workforce solutions that fundamentally transform the way organizations connect people and jobs. From its headquarters in Utrecht (Netherlands) and a strategic offce in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), WCC Group serves public employment services, staffng agencies, and large enterprises globally.
The company offers two solutions: Employment Solutions support public employment services and staffng agencies in matching candidates with jobs or training, while its HR Solutions simplify talent retention and internal talent management for large enterprises to reduce external recruitment and onboarding costs.
At the core of these solutions is the cloud-native ELISE Search & Match Platform, delivering meaningful, ranked results within a second. WCC Group's software impacts half a billion people daily and powers large-scale labor market initiatives worldwide, including MyFutureJobs in Malaysia (300,000+ job seekers, 30,000+ employers) and the recruitment activities of Robert Half in the United States, where it has established the company's reputation for innovation and effciency.