Manpower Inc Joel Biller Named President of CIETT

The Confdration Internationale des Entreprises de Travail Temporaire (CIETT) has named Joel Biller, senior vice president of special projects for Manpower Inc., as its president for the next four years.

Biller, a long-time staffing industry executive and former deputy assistant secretary of state with the U.S. State Department, is the first non-European to hold this prestigious position. His term as CIETT president will run from 2004 to 2008. CIETT is the only international organization representing the interests of staffing services and is recognized as such by national and international organizations and governments. It operates in 30 countries worldwide and brings together national associations of employment businesses - those that supply workers for temporary assignments on their clientsí premises. CIETT also includes six of the largest staffing companies in the world, including Manpower Inc., a member since CIETTís inception in 1967.

In his new role, Biller has been tasked with guiding the group through an overhaul of its constitution and a reorganization that will allow it to respond more quickly to issues and better represent the industryís interests before international organizations, such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the European Union (EU).

I am honored and excited to continue my work with CIETT in collaboration with international organizations and our many partner associations, says Biller who has worked in the staffing industry for over 25 years. CIETT must be able to act quickly and deal effectively with issues, but the current infrastructure established 40 years ago does not allow for that. Therefore, the first objective during my term is to update the organizationís constitution and operational structure. We will then be better able to meet the growing challenges that face our geographically and commercially diverse membership. Biller noted that each day there are over eight million temporary employees at work in the countries represented within CIETT and that they make a significant impact to a countryís global business competitiveness and economic prosperity - limiting the impact of fluctuations in the economy, building the skills base of the region and creating a diverse and flexible workforce.

Biller has also served on the American Staffing Associationís (ASA) board and executive committee for 20 years, where he was the chairman of ASAís international committee from 1985 to 1995. During this time, he also represented the organization in CIETT. In addition, he has held the position of first vice president for CIETT-North America since 1995. Prior to joining Manpower, Biller held a variety of positions with the State Department in Washington D.C. and U.S. embassies in Asia, Europe and South America. His past foreign service positions include: chief U.S. negotiator of international aviation and maritime treaties; director of the USAID Mission in Chile; director of economic/commercial affairs in Argentina, Chile, and Ecuador; and deputy assistant secretary of state in charge of commercial affairs.