Improving public employment services through Artificial Intelligence and data solutions in France and Greece

The Greek and French Public Employment Services (PES) – known as DYPA and France Travail respectively – share common challenges and needs in their efforts to modernize and enhance their services using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data. Concretely, both organisations face the need to transform their services digitally, leveraging AI to improve efficiency, effectiveness and user experience. This Project aims to assist DYPA and France Travail to overcome the above-mentioned challenges, obtain concrete insights and methodologies to prioritise investments in AI and data and ensure the adoption of “good AI” use cases, for the improvement of services offered to citizens and businesses.

Context 

DYPA and France Travail are both engaged in important efforts to modernise and enhance their service delivery models, including through the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. These efforts take place against a broader backdrop of labour market challenges and opportunities for digital transformation. In Greece, DYPA has made considerable progress in recent years in improving services to jobseekers and employers. Measures such as increasing the number of counsellors have been implemented, yet jobseeker caseloads remain high by EU and OECD standards, and future increases in staffing are likely to be constrained by public sector employment rules. As a result, advancing the digitalisation of services and effectively using AI solutions has become a strategic priority. In France, France Travail has already defined an AI strategy and started applying AI in a number of its processes. However, further operationalisation of the strategy is needed, in particular to ensure a comprehensive, responsible, and future-proof approach to AI. With the rapid evolution of AI technologies, there is a need to update France Travail's strategic orientations, and align practices with the new EU AI Act and principles for "good AI." 

Support delivered

Technical support will be delivered through the following outputs: (i) Note mapping existing processes within the Greek PES that could be improved through AI; (ii) Report on international AI use cases to provide employment services, with a focus on strategic frameworks, data requirements, governance and evaluation arrangements, risk assessment and management; (iii) Report proposing adjustments to the AI strategy in the French PES and proposing a new AI strategy for the Greek PES; (iv) Action plan proposals for the French and Greek PES, to support the implementation of recommended AI and data solutions; (v) Capacity-building activities and development of guidelines on AI adoption and promotion, for the Greek and French PES; (vi) Pilot roadmap proposal for the Greek PES, to support the implementation of AI and data solutions; and (vii) Final project conference. 

Expected results

The project is expected to support DYPA and France Travail, in their efforts to improve the overall quality, effectiveness and efficiency of services offered to citizens and businesses, through the deployment of AI and big data solutions. In concrete terms, the project should equip both PES with specific tools – in the form of recommendations, new or updated strategic frameworks and action plans – to plan, prioritise and implement AI and data projects, and ensure compliance with EU-wide legislation in the field of AI (particularly, as concerns the risks posed by AI systems in the field of employment).Over the longer term, such efforts are expected to contribute to overarching reforms aimed at improving labour market outcomes, in both countries.