On 13 November, the Helmond-De Peel 2025 Labour Market Conference was held in ’t Kwartier in Asten. Around 100 professionals came together to interpret current developments and take concrete steps towards a future-proof labour market.
The programme consisted of a combination of inspiration, depth and interaction. During the plenary opening, day chairman Matthijs Akkenaar and councillor Martijn de Kort the tone was set: the region faces major challenges and opportunities. In the session Region in Focus, hosted by Jessie Vossen and Matthijs, the real issues in the regional labour market - from staff shortages to ageing and mismatches - were brought into focus.
Participants could then choose from three in-depth sessions:
- Digitisation & AI - by Matthijs Akkenaar
- Beethoven - by Astrid van Deelen and Richard Kerste
- Skillsbased Economy - by Remko Matsinger
In these sessions, participants got concrete insights into technology trends, regional talent developments and the growing importance of skills in recruitment, matching and careers.
The programme ended with a large-scale collaborative game accompanied by Jorden Hagenbeek.
In this interactive component, participants experienced how individual interests, regional cooperation and joint choices relate to each other. This led to valuable insights on what is already going well in regional labour market cooperation, and where there is room to strengthen.
The day was jointly concluded with a retrospective and networking drinks.
Thank you to all speakers, partners and participants for their contribution. The conference again showed how powerful the cooperation within Helmond-De Peel is, as well as how necessary it remains for an agile, inclusive and future-oriented labour market.
