Research Institute

EM Roads Institute

Presentation
News and events
Research and expertise
Resources and publications

EM Roads, the Institute for Skills and Career Pathways at EM Normandie, is establishing itself as a leading resource for understanding changes in the workplace.

Its aims are to provide practical guidance to individuals wishing to enhance their employability and to organisations seeking to develop their recruitment, training and career management practices.

In a changing world, career paths, skills and HR practices are developing rapidly, making decision-making more uncertain for businesses, individuals and institutions. In this context, business schools have a key role to play: to produce reliable knowledge on employment and careers.

3 key missions

Analyse

EM Roads uses quantitative and qualitative surveys, as well as career trajectory analyses, to understand changes in occupations, skills and career paths. Its achievements include:

Modelling the career paths of 70,000 graduates.
Analysing the criteria for choosing a first job, the expectations of recent graduates and companies’ skills requirements.
Real-time analysis of changes in companies’ skills requirements.
Regular production of indicators on career mobility, working practices and candidates’ behaviour.

Anticipate

The institute does not merely analyse: it experiments and devises innovative methods for developing and recognising skills. Its research focuses in particular on:

Learning-centred work environments and their ability to foster self-direction.
Methods of assessing skills, comparing real-life and simulated approaches.
The impact of digital technologies on HR practices, with a particular focus on algorithmic bias and ethics.

Support

EM Roads takes an active role in disseminating knowledge to businesses, local authorities and alumni. Its publications are designed to:

Inform the decisions of economic and public sector stakeholders.
Foster public debate through webinars, opinion pieces and press partnerships.
Support educational transformation and the development of continuing professional development programmes.

Jean Pralong

Head of the Chair in ‘Skills, Employability and HR Decision-Making’, Professor of Human Resource Management

Sarah Alves

Lecturer in Human Resources Management

Recruitment Customer Service – Take part in our next survey

The Skills, Employability and HR Decision-Making Chair at EM Normandie, led by Jean Pralong, Professor of Human Resources, is launching a research collective and a website. It is called ‘Le SAV du recrutement’, comprising PerformanSe and Saven, and supported by HR technology providers Yaggo and Blendy, as well as Act4skills.

Visit savdurecrutement.com to take part

https://savdurecrutement.com/

The aim? To identify the sticking points in recruitment processes

The aim of this study is to gain a very precise and deeper understanding of the difficulties encountered – yet rarely voiced – between recruiters, candidates and managers. These stakeholders have differing interests, intentions and perceptions regarding recruitment practices. Their complex – and sometimes even complicated – interactions require adjustments on both sides, which inevitably give rise to disagreements. What are these areas of disagreement, what are their causes, and how can they be minimised?

The method? A research approach that allows the various groups to have their say

The research group aims to give everyone a voice. To this end, they have set up a dedicated website where anyone who wishes to do so – recruiters, managers and candidates – can share their experiences in complete confidence by answering questions, leaving a voicemail or even posting a video.
The results of the study will be published in mid-June 2025.

In response to the increasing complexity of career paths and constantly evolving skills requirements, EM Roads provides independent and reliable analyses.

Scientific aspects

Career Paths and Skills Observatory

Analysis of career paths and skills requirements.

Apprenticeship Observatory

Research into working environments and skills development.

Chair in Skills, Employees and HR Decision-Making

Analysis of recruitment, talent management and skills assessment practices.

Partnerships

EM Roads works with Actual Group to gain exclusive access to market data, thereby ensuring the robustness and relevance of its analyses. The Institute also works with Resource Lab, a provider of HRIS software.

Key productions

The Institute disseminates its research through regular surveys and accessible studies (HR Insights), designed to inform the decisions of HR professionals and enrich public debate.

Resources and publications

EM Roads will shortly be publishing three major studies providing objective and scientific insights into current issues in the workplace.

Mid-December 2025: 3rd EM Normandie-Actual Group Barometer of Attitudes to Work
This new edition will assess the impact of recent events on working people’s attitudes to work. In particular, it will help to identify possible ways of adapting to changing skills requirements.
End of January 2026: Young People’s Attitudes to Work
An in-depth, qualitative and quantitative study will explore the aspirations, motivations and forms of engagement at work among young people in all their diversity.
April 2026: Staying Committed Despite Everything in a Hospital in Crisis
Healthcare workers in the public hospital sector, faced with multiple pressures, have not given up but have instead reinvented the ways in which they engage with their work.