Longer careers due to later retirement and greater mobility because of promotions, restructuring and retraining: these are all factors that put career path support at the heart of today's HR strategy.

National administrations have become aware of the need to offer solutions that match the growing needs of both staff and departments.

Following the example of France, many countries have recruited and trained staff to provide career development services. In Austria, in addition to the new public employment job exchange, an internal mobility support unit is available to federal staff. The unit manages a database of candidates who wish to change jobs, and it assists them in their efforts (creation of profiles, job offers and interviews). This helps regulate problems of under- and over-staffing.

Among the tools that can be used to match profiles and positions, the skills inventory remains the central element: in Finland, the Administration has upgraded its career path and mobility management system by integrating a new module. Skillful combines skills (both personal and professional) with the tasks carried out in the positions held. This new functionality is in high demand by departments, as it facilitates the identification of experts and know-how.

Preparing for change with an eye to moving into the future under good conditions is not innate, and requires significant personal investment. In Belgium, federal government employees can benefit from a system in which qualified career coaches (as part of the Talent Plus network) provide coaching sessions using innovative interview techniques, exercises and questionnaires to provide food for thought.

Some countries, such as the United Kingdom, have opted for the creation of careers. Successively developed using a similar model, they now cover almost all sectors and offer genuine prospects in terms of career advancement and functional and geographic mobility. The designers have modelled the various career development possibilities and an online module provides detailed answers for staff questions.

The Netherlands has chosen to get each individual involved in his or her career path, taking into account key career events and giving them the means to achieve this, and has introduced two measures to stimulate recurrent interest:

• Group workshops prepare agents who wish to change posts. There are four themes: building a professional network, highlighting one's profile, presenting a structure based on an employer brand and communicating effectively within a department.

• A new integrated HRM system was rolled out, in which the structure of positions and the assessment process were jointly redefined. Career path management has been streamlined thanks to an app that allows users to create their own simulations.

To cope with lengthening working lives, some countries are taking the lead in developing specific programmes for those entering the second half of their careers. In Sweden, a range of services (interactive workshops and a dedicated HR team) adapted to the needs of those concerned is aimed at preventing skills obsolescence and even professional wear and tear, and in Switzerland the federal administration is committed to remaining an appealing employer by offering a development model (prospective interview with a view to a possible change in assignment).