From research and case studies to new methodologies and innovative design thinking – the Innovation Foundation’s work results in projects, papers, and ways of thinking and working that help underserved populations access and remain in meaningful employment.
We build solutions to share, not to keep. If we can inspire businesses, governments, and decision makers, spark a new way of looking at something, or help someone struggling to identify and value their own skills, then we are doing something right. We invite you to look through the material we provide, get inspired, and reach out to us for more information, synergies, and feedback.
Please note that some of our earlier documents may refer to “The Adecco Group Foundation”. This was our name when we first began operations, back in 2017. At the end of 2021, we underwent a transformation which helped us to further sharpen our focus on underserved populations and structure ourselves as a comprehensive Social Innovation Lab. This also resulted in the name you know us by today: the Innovation Foundation. This name speaks to our innovative approach to finding and developing solutions for the underserved.
The shrinkage of entry level jobs is an urgent issue around the world, but the picture is much more nuanced than one would think. The Innovation Foundation is delving into this topic to see who is impacted, where and why. From this, we will co-create solutions to help address this issue.
The shrinking ladder: Understanding the decline of the entry-level opportunity
Entry-level jobs are under pressure across the world, but the story being told about them is too narrow. It is not all about white collar jobs, AI and university graduates. They are important, but only part of the picture. This research looked across six regions, different types of work and an array of industries to create a broader, more complete view of the topic.
See what we have been up to, our achievements and drivers, and our plans for the future, with the Innovation Foundation Annual Report.
2025 Innovation Foundation Annual Report
The world continues to change quickly and in unprecedented ways, and the dangers facing already vulnerable populations, from economic and geopolitical instability to armed conflict, are greater than ever. As our 2021-25 strategic cycle came to a close, the Innovation Foundation looks back on a journey that proved our Scan, Build, Scale methodology creates real opportunities for real people, and can be handed over to local partners to scale on their own. Catch up on last year's progress, and see how we're looking ahead in our 2025 Annual Report.
2024 Innovation Foundation Annual Report
The world continues to change quickly and in unprecedented ways. The danger that underserved populations will be left out of the future of work is even higher and the Innovation Foundation is making sure that people have not only the required skills but also access to work and opportunities to thrive. Catch up on the latest from our ongoing projects, learn more about our valued partners, see how the Innovation Foundation fits into the wider Adecco Group, and much more in our 2024 Annual Report.
2023 Innovation Foundation Annual Report
Our mission of creating real world employability solutions for underserved populations is further solidified, as shown in our 2023 Annual Report. Our three ongoing projects – including women returning to work in Spain, young mothers struggling to juggle it all in Mexico, and mature workers approaching retirement age in the UK – are highlighted through the lens of our own proprietary methodology for innovation.
This annual report focuses on our first full year operating as a pure Social Innovation Lab, under our new name, with our revised vision and mission, and brings to life our refreshed branding. It shows our unique positioning within the complex word of civil society and gives updates on the first three projects going through our own Scan, Build, Scale methodology. Our very first annual report is a look back at 2021, featuring a tightening and narrowing of focus, resulting in a new strategy, organizational structure, and cultural evolution. It also firmly establishes our operating model as a Social Innovation Lab, gives an update on our legacy projects, and hints at the future of where we are headed.
Our Social Radar scans. Our Innovation Space builds. Our Accelerator scales. Together, these three things are at the heart of the Innovation Foundation’s methodology. It is a unique and carefully crafted methodology that ensures we are solving the right problem, for the right people, in the right way, and with the right partners. Dive deeper into each step of our methodology, here.
Innovation Foundation - Case Study
This case study explores how the Innovation Foundation transformed from a traditional corporate foundation into a Social Innovation Lab focused on building scalable solutions to improve access to work. It introduces the Scan–Build–Scale methodology - a structured approach designed to identify systemic barriers, develop human-centred solutions, and spin them out to partners for long-term impact. The study offers practical insights for foundations and organisations seeking to move beyond grant-making toward sustainable, systems-level change.
Social Radar: Scan Methodology
A human-centred diagnostic design process via mapping, distilling, sense testing, calibrating, and validating.
Build: Methodology for Social Innovation Ideation
The Build phase of our methodology features a Multistakeholder Working Group, design workshop, and on-the-ground end-user testing – resulting in 2 to 3 possible solution concepts that we believe merit building into full solutions.
Smooth Transitions - The Economist - Monocle - October 2025 - Issue 187
The Innovation Foundation’s Managing Director, Cynthia Hansen, speaks with Monocle Magazine about how the Foundation is redefining what corporate philanthropy can be by sharing its methodology with the world.
Many young people are falling out of the workforce. Or struggling to enter in the first place. The Innovation Foundation asks: What if young people didn’t have to choose between education or employment? What if we could help young people identify and apply the skills they already have?
Youth@Risk Social Radar Paper The first iteration of the Social Radar identifies two key challenges facing youth and makes recommendations for further exploration through research and projects.
Youth@Risk – Scan Video
Global unemployment is a pressing issue for youth, with 16-24-year-olds from low income families at the highest risk of being negatively impacted. Learn more about how the Scan part of our methodology comes to life with the Youth@Risk project, helping us to identify the 2 main challenges that this population is facing.
Youth@Risk - Build Video
The second step of the Innovation Foundation’s own methodology is Build – where our Innovation Space runs design-based ideation to co-create and prototype social solutions that address employability barriers head-on. See our Build methodology in action with the Youth@Risk project.
The Covid-19 pandemic gave rise to the Great Resignation, where millions of employees have left their jobs and are demanding more flexibility, choice and purpose from their working life. But what if the Great Resignation isn’t as universal as it seems? What if the pandemic has disproportionately impacted certain parts of the labour market? This is the case for many women who are struggling to re-enter the workforce. The Innovation Foundation recognizes that, for many of these women, leaving their jobs was not by choice and we focus on solutions for helping them regain meaningful employment, post-pandemic.
Busting the Myths of Flexibility and Choice Report
Insights from Those Most Impacted Report
Women Back to Work Social Radar Paper
Women Back To Work - Mónica's Story
The end-user, and their needs, are fundamental to our projects, as we build solutions not only for them, but also with them. Listen to the inspiring story of Mónica, a woman trying to return to the world of work on her own terms, as we directly involve her in the Innovation Foundation’s Women Back to Work project.
Women Back to Work Success Story – Eloiza
Meet Eloiza. She is one of the women the Innovation Foundation worked with for the Women Back to Work project. After moving from Brazil to Spain, she found herself struggling to continue working in the same way as before. Through our project, Eloiza got not only her self-esteem back, but also a fulfilling job at a leading hotel.
Innovation Conversation 1 Zürich_Konfekt Summer 2022
The first in a series of dinners hosted by the Innovation Foundation, in collaboration with Monocle magazine and their sister magazine, Konfekt. These dinners bring together a stimulating mix of thinkers to discuss the topic of women re-entering the workforce.
Innovation Conversation 2 London_Konfekt Autumn 2022
The second in a series of dinners hosted by the Innovation Foundation, in collaboration with Monocle magazine and their sister magazine, Konfekt. These dinners bring together a stimulating mix of thinkers to discuss the topic of women re-entering the workforce.
Innovation Conversation 3 Tokyo_Konfekt Winter 2022
The third in a series of dinners hosted by the Innovation Foundation, in collaboration with Monocle magazine and their sister magazine, Konfekt. These dinners bring together a stimulating mix of thinkers to discuss the topic of women re-entering the workforce.
The global population is aging, and the proportion of older people is increasing in almost every country in the world. As people live longer, they work longer. Some by choice, others due to the need to make ends meet, financially. The retirement age continues to increase and there is a growing population of 55–65-year-old workers facing new challenges and making new choices for the “golden” time in their lives. The Innovation Foundation strives for practical and actionable solutions which address the needs of mature workers.
Mature Workers Social Radar Paper
The Innovation Foundation’s Social Radar scans to unveil the barriers that mature workers face. The white spaces we identified point to productivity, data gaps, unretirement, pivots and inequalities as the areas that merit further exploration.
The workforce is evolving due to demographic shifts, and more people are continuing to work beyond the age of retirement. At the same time, returning to work after retirement is becoming more common. The Innovation Foundation surveyed mature workers to better understand their needs and the challenges they face, in order to identify the opportunities where tailored and targeted solutions would make the most difference.
Unretirement Paper
Unretirement is defined as the phenomenon of returning to work after formal retirement. It is a growing trend among people with different skill levels, family compositions, marital status, and socioeconomic status. This report – from the Innovation Foundation in partnership with the Horizon Group – examines the growing trend of mature workers unretiring, either by choice or out of necessity, and aims to further understand this relatively new feature of the employment landscape, including how it differs for various groups, across various countries.
Job Pivots for Mature Workers
The Innovation Foundation provides information that can help mature working individuals seeking to make a job pivot as well as labour market professionals who are working to support them. We do this by drawing on the lived experience of mature workers from one-on-one interviews, focus group discussions, and secondary data.
What are the needs and challenges of an ageing workforce? Cynthia Hansen, Managing Director of the Innovation Foundation, addresses the solutions that workers over 50-years-old need in order to navigate the world of work, in this article that she wrote for the World Economic Forum.
A vital and healthy workforce is good for business, society, and, most importantly, people. We help organizations identify people’s needs, evaluate their existing policies, and accelerate innovative solutions to wellbeing thanks to our own unique and straightforward Workforce Vitality model.
Workforce Vitality White Paper
An Economist Intelligence Unit report examining the extent to which multinational companies are adopting wellbeing practices, how effective they have been, and how important HR executives consider them to be.
Workforce Vitality ICRC Case Study
A design sprint, run together with the International Committee of the Red Cross, to implement our Workforce Vitality model and support the physical, mental, and social needs of ICRC staff.
Many young people struggle to find a way into work because they lack the experience and skills that companies look for. And many companies find it difficult to understand what youth wants to see in an employer and are looking for how to best bring out the skills of the young workforce. The youth demographic has a unique view on the world of work and brings many interesting new ways of working, values, and skills to the table. We recognize and support youth by involving them directly – keeping their needs and values at the heart of it all.
Gen Z - The Future Leaders Report
What will a Gen Z CEO look like? We asked 5,000 Gen Z’ers, who are on a leadership track, what they thought the future C-Suite would look like.
Understanding the mindset of a new generation of talent is the best way to make exciting predictions about the future of work. See the needs and trends through the eyes of these bright young minds.
This innovation project employs design thinking and co-creation of solutions with consortium partners and is dedicated to unlocking hidden pools of talent. In partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), we help to increase the employability of people with disabilities in developing countries, fragile states, and conflict zones, through the Career Development Programme. In partnership with the Lucerne Festival and Davos Festival, the Young Musicians Training Programme aims to create systemic change in how musicians are prepared for the world of work.
Career Development Programme – Case Study
Career Development Programme – Haya Rawi Interview
Career Development Programme – Abdulsalam Yahya Alkibsi Interview
Young Musicians Training Programme - Case Study
Young Musicians Training Programme – Jens Bracher Interview
Young Musicians Training Programme – Oliver Schnyder Interview
An original champion of our Young Musicians Training Programme and a key player in the world of music gives valuable insight on the programme dedicated to young musicians and their careers.
Professional athletes can provide unique solutions to the world of work – with fresh thinking and a hidden set of skills. Studies even indicate that former athletes demonstrate higher levels of leadership and achieve higher-status careers than their peers do. With research led by colleagues in the Innovation Foundation, the Adecco Group presents ways to recognize the potential and unlock the value of athletes in order to help businesses make the most of the opportunities presented by the future of work.