Two billion people – more than six out of ten workers in the world – make their living in the informal economy. The ILO estimates that some 1.6 billion of these workers have been significantly impacted by the COVID pandemic. Among them, women and young workers have been particularly hard hit.

What is to be done? One emerging solution is technology. The ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work recognizes the role of technological innovation in driving change in the world of work and its human-centred approach, and promotes harnessing the potential of technological progress to achieve decent work and sustainable development.

In this podcast, ILO Employment Policy Specialist Juan Chacaltana and Technical Officer, Vicky Leung discuss emerging policy trends in how technology can facilitate the transition to the formal economy, or e-formality, and some of the challenges.

Breaking out of the informal economy: Does new technology hold the key?

Campaña OIT Trova 1

Ce podcast plus long et plus approfondi (en français) examine les causes profondes communes du travail des enfants et du travail forcé en Côte d’Ivoire. Le podcast explore les actions des organisations d’employeurs et du gouvernement qui ont particulièrement bien réussi à s’attaquer à ces deux fléaux et esquisse les prochaines étapes. Le podcast présente des interviews avec Edouard Ladouyou de la Confédération Générale des Entreprises de Côte d’Ivoire (CGECI, un membre de la OIT GBNFL), Mariame Bédié du Groupement Professionnel des Exportateurs de Café et de Cacao, et Ndri Koffi de l’Union Nationale de Entreprises Agricoles et Forestières.

Episode 7: Une conversation sur le travail forcé et des enfants en Côte d’Ivoire.

Tanto el trabajo forzoso como el trabajo infantil son problemas de gran importancia en México, un país pionero de la Alianza 8.7 que ha acelerado el paso para erradicar ambos abusos. En este podcast, analizamos las causas principales detrás del trabajo forzoso e infantil en México, lo que se está haciendo para combatir estos problemas, lo que falta por hacer y cómo lograr hacerlo.

El podcast presenta entrevistas con cuatro expositores expertos de empresas y de organizaciones empresariales y de empleadores que tienen experiencia de primera mano en la lucha contra el trabajo forzoso y el trabajo infantil. Entre ellos abarcan varios temas relacionados con estos dos problemas incluyendo la visión del sector privado para su erradicación, la contratación equitativa, el impacto del COVID-19, la importancia de las certificaciones, la formalización laboral, la seguridad social y el desarrollo de capacidades, entre otros.

El podcast se centra especialmente en el sector agrícola y destaca la importancia del papel que juegan las micro, pequeñas y medianas empresas para eliminar el trabajo forzoso y el trabajo infantil.

Edición especial: Erradicar el trabajo forzoso y el trabajo infantil en México

In many ways, digitalization has made the world of work a better place, supporting growth in both productivity and incomes. Yet many groups of workers, in particular, those who are already disadvantaged and marginalized such as women, older persons, and persons with disabilities, face dual challenges associated with unequal access to digital technologies compounded by the lack of capacities to use them. This lack of access to modern technologies has been even more pronounced in traditional divides – rural versus urban, and developing and emerging economies versus developed economies. Other characteristics such as age, and skills levels add to the widening of the gap. In this episode, Professor Balaji Parthasarathy of the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore, India, and Matteo Sostero of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre discuss the digital divide and offer some ideas for narrowing it.

The digital divide: Can we narrow the gap?

Over the past decade, the world has witnessed a rise in platforms and the growing platformization of work. Many of the new forms of work are being generated in the gig economy. These trends are also pervasive in India. While these developments have resulted in increased access to work for women, they are also characterized by higher levels of uncertainty and lesser incentives for skills- and capacity-building, among other challenges. What lessons can be learned from India regarding the creation of more equitable access to jobs in the digital economy? What are some of the policy considerations to overcome these challenges? This episode responds to these core questions.

This podcast episode features an interview with Sabina Dewan, President and Executive Director of the JustJobs Network, Senior Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in India, and Lead of the research project on the digital future of work in India commissioned by the German Agency for International Cooperation or GIZ.

Platform work and gender inequalities – Case study from India

Algorithmic management has been seen as a positive technological and digital factor in the organization of economic activity, but it also comes with a range of challenges. While some may see it as a useful tool for increasing organizational ability to control and monitor complex economic and work processes, with the increasing capacity to collect, store and process digital information it also raises new issues and engenders questions about ensuring privacy and personal space among the workforce. 

In this episode, Uma Rani, a Senior Economist at the ILO’s Research Department and Enrique Fernandez Macias, a researcher at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre explain what algorithmic management means and what considerations are needed to ensure that it plays a positive role in the future of work.

Algorithmic management: what it is, what it does and what it means for the future of work

Today, our world is facing an unprecedented number of challenges: climate and demographic change, COVID-19, and a lack of decent work and social security, among others. Poverty, inequality, and hunger are on the rise. So, what can we do to shift gears and start moving forward again? A new initiative has been launched by the UN Secretary General with ILO coordinating support to address these challenges. The Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions aims to increase the level and coordination of the multilateral system’s efforts to help countries create 400 million decent jobs in both developed and emerging economies, and to extend social protection to half the world’s population who are currently excluded. To learn more about this, in this episode we interview ILO experts, Valérie Schmitt, Deputy Director of the Social Protection Department, and Jean-François Klein, Senior Administrator, Employment Policy Department.

The Global Accelerator: What it is and what it does in the future of work

A host of disruptive trends – ranging from public health crises, to accelerated automation, digitalization, and climate change – are putting labour markets under stress. New realities require new kinds of skills and re-skilling to help workers stay employed, and enterprises stay competitive. Career guidance has emerged as a critical element in both recovery plans and forward-looking strategies for navigating through such disruptions. In this episode, Pedro Moreno da Fonseca, ILO Technical Specialist on Lifelong Learning, and Glenda Quintini, a Senior Economist specializing in Skills and Employability at the OECD discuss the role of career guidance in helping individuals achieve their potential and making economies and societies more productive and inclusive.

Career guidance in challenging times: An investment in the future

Go green has become the new mantra of our times. To mitigate the impact of climate change, we’re moving fast in new directions that promise to usher in a new green and digital transformation aimed at addressing climate issues that reach well beyond the world of work. There’s an urgency to do this: as the world heats up, we’re running out of time. In this podcast, Moustapha Kamal Gueye, ILO Director of the Priority Action Programme on Just Transitions Towards Environmentally Sustainable Economies and Societies, explains how this transformation is coming about, and how it will affect the future of work.

Is green the colour of our future? The green and digital transformation and the future of work

Technology has made enormous strides over the past few decades, improving many people’s lives, and creating incredible economic, scientific, and medical breakthroughs. For some, it has been “the great equalizer”. But others are being left behind in a widening social and economic divide. How can we resolve this paradox in the future of work? In this episode, we’ll examine this question with ILO Employment Policy Department Senior Economist Dorothea Schmidt-Klau and recall some of the key observations on the impact of technology and digitalization from our previous podcasts.

The technology paradox: Is it a great equalizer for some, but digital divider for others?

Advancing social justice is an idea that’s getting new attention these days. One of the main areas where the need for social justice is growing as something people want is the world of work. Achieving that will be a tall order, given that more and more people are looking for jobs and more and more jobs looking for people to fill them. In this challenging environment, what role can research and dialogue play?  This podcast asks two top experts, Sangheon Lee, Director of the ILO’s Employment Policy, Job Creation & Livelihoods Department, and Mikel Landabaso, Director, Fair & Sustainable Economy of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission (EC).

The quest for social justice: The role of research and dialogue

The world is facing a host of challenges causing sluggish employment growth in some societies. The COVID pandemic hasn’t helped, weakening, and even in some cases reversing hard won gains in employment, with devastating economic impact. One key problem is what a recent ILO report sees as a lack of what it calls “structural transformation”. 

In this podcast, Bernd Mueller, Manager of the Employment Programme at the International Training Centre of the ILO in Turin, Italy, and co-author of the ILO’s latest global employment policy review explains how structural transformation can help overcome these challenges, through a new policy framework aimed at creating jobs and advancing the quest for social justice.

Jobs for Africa and beyond: The role of structural transformation in the 21st century

Are we smart enough to manage the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the world of work?

It seems there are rising concerns over whether AI is a "threat or a promise”. Is this concern warranted?

To answer the question, we interviewed Uma Rani, a Senior Economist at the ILO’s Research Department, and Enrique Fernandez Macias, a researcher at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. They explore what kind of research and policies do we need to better assess the impact of AI on such issues as gender balance, social justice, and other ethical and moral questions arising from its use in both developed and developing economies.

Artificial Intelligence and the future of work: A threat or a promise?

The world of work is undergoing profound change. These changes are creating skills gaps, mismatches and shortages that are resulting in unfilled jobs and lost productivity.
 
So how do we close this skills gap? In search of an answer, the ILO has adopted a sweeping new international labour standard focused on updating its approach to skills and quality apprenticeships. 

The new “Recommendation on Quality Apprenticeships, No. 208” is designed to help workers and employers find ways to skill, reskill and upskill people to adapt to rapidly changing labour markets. 

But how will it work in practice? In this podcast Martin Henry, Research, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator of Education International in Brussels, and Kathryn Rowan, Executive Director of GAN, the Global Apprenticeship Network based in Geneva, share their insights.

How can we close the skills gap? Quality apprenticeships and the future of work

In a world with high rates of unemployment and underemployment, more and more people are looking for work amidst rapid change that is increasing skills mismatches and shortages. 

Millions of young people in the developing world acquire skills through apprenticeships in the informal economy. In many countries they greatly outnumber youth acquiring skills through formal technical and vocational education and training.

A new ILO labour standard on quality apprenticeships has focused attention on the need to upgrade training and learning. In this podcast, Yasser Ali, a Specialist on Skills Development based in Amman, Jordan discusses this issue and what needs to be done to strengthen apprenticeships in the informal economy.

Informal apprenticeships and the future of work

In just three years Namibia has become a world leader when it comes to tackling forced labour in fishing. What’s more, Namibia now coordinates labour and environmental inspections of vessels. Namibia’s experience shows that environmental degradation and forced labour in fishing are no longer hidden and can be addressed cost-effectively at the same time.

In this special episode we interview three forced labour experts to find out how Namibia has made so much progress in such a short amount of time. Each speaker also shares their top tips and favourite resources for the business community. To find out more, and to access the free tools and resources, please visit https://flbusiness.network/podcast-how-namibia-fights-forced-labour-fishing/

SPECIAL EPISODE: Fighting forced labour in fishing - How Namibia became a pioneer

In the world of work, men and women are often segregated by their type of work, one of the main reasons women suffered more job losses during the COVID-19 crisis than men and are facing a slower recovery. Now, a joint programme of UN Women and the ILO has developed a new tool to help policymakers rethink the design of sectoral policies and make informed decisions on where to invest to have a greater impact on gender equality. In this podcast Valeria Esquivel, Employment Policies and Gender Specialist at the ILO and Marzia Fontana, a Research Associate at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex explain how.

Tackling gender segregation:  How a new policy tool can finally help bring about change

During the COVID-19 pandemic, global demand for rubber gloves soared, prompting the Malaysian rubber industry to increase production in the face of labour shortages. Forced labour reports led, among other things, to the United States seizing and holding the goods of seven Malaysian companies. In response, the sector adopted a zero recruitment fee model and reimbursed migrant workers, making significant progress in combating forced labour in just four years. 

This podcast episode takes an in-depth look at how Malaysian rubber businesses managed to change things for the better and shares tips, tools, and resources for businesses.  

For more information, and for free tools and resources please visit https://flbusiness.network/new-podcast-tackling-forced-labour-malaysia-rubber-industry/

SPECIAL EPISODE: Malaysia's rubber industry takes on forced labour.

The digital economy presents prospects to self-reliance for communities affected by forced displacement. However, significant barriers still prevent them from accessing formal employment. 

In our third episode, we explore how the private sector has been helping to bridge this gap. Giselle Gonzales, founder of EqualReach, shares emerging practices by businesses and social impact organizations in facilitating market connections, improving working conditions, providing upskilling opportunities, and fostering social cohesion among refugees and host community members. Turning to her own experience, she reflects on how promoting inclusive workplaces is a win for all.

Inclusion is good for digital businesses: Private sector practices for host & refugee inclusion

The world of work is being buffeted by a torrent of change, with multiple crises raising the magnitude and complexity of employment challenges to unprecedented levels.

Labour markets have been hit by disruptive mega-trends that weren’t on our radar just a decade ago. 

These range from challenges we already know like gender disparities, informality and youth unemployment, to new and emerging issues, like climate change, increasing digitalization and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence.

So how does this impact national employment policies for promoting employment? In this podcast, we interview ILO Employment Policy Expert Sher Verick on this subject.

Addressing major labour market challenges in the world of work: Implications for promoting jobs

An explosion of online and micro-credential programmes since COVID-19 highlights the importance of lifelong learning to upskilling, reskilling and economic recovery. While these learning courses may help successfully train and equip large numbers of workers with the skills needed for the jobs of the future, they also raise several questions. In this podcast we explore the future of micro-credentialing with two experts on learning and skills development, Pedro Moreno Da Fonseca, ILO Technical Specialist on Lifelong Learning, and Anastasia Pouliou, Expert in Qualifications and credentials - Future of Vocational Education and Training (VET), and Lead Researcher on Micro-credentials at the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, known as Cedefop.

Micro-credentials: Powerful new learning tool, or just “pouring old wine into new bottles”?

There’s a new trend in the world of work…the growth of an ageing workforce. 

It’s called the “Silver Tsunami’, and it means more people are working past retirement age, either because they want to or because they must, to make ends meet. 

So, what are the implications of this trend? What does it mean for retirement plans and social security? And what does it mean for employers and enterprises faced with an ageing workforce? 

In this podcast we’ll be talking two experts on ageing in the workplace: Roberto Suárez Santos, Secretary-General of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), and Dorothea Schmidt-Klau, Chief of the Employment, Labour Markets and Youth Branch, in the ILO’s Employment Policy Department.

The Silver Tsunami: Are older workers the wave of the future?

The number of ageing workers in the workforce is growing. People are working longer, either because they want to, they need to to make ends meet or have because they have unique skills. So, what are the implications of this trend for the trade union movement? What does it mean for older workers and their representatives? And how can trade unions address the multiple challenges that are emerging as the workforce ages? In this podcast we explore these trends with Plamen Dimitrov, President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria and member of the Workers’ Group of the ILO Governing Body.

Challenges and opportunities of an ageing workforce: A worker’s perspective

Radiopi spot nisqa, chaymi promocionan condenacionta traficantekunata, llaqtamasikunaman, víctimakunamanpas justiciamanta, suyakuymanta willakuykunata apachinankupaq. Allin sentenciaqa, operadores de justicia allinta yachachisqa kananku, chay huchata riqsinankupaq, pikunachus kay situacionkunaman sensibles kanku, chantapis justiciata ruwanku normas y leyes peruanas y internacionales nisqapi.

Persecución (quechua)

Radiopi spot nisqa, imaymana situacionkunapi sipaskuna, qhari wawakuna, wayna sipaskuna runa qhatuypi tarikusqankumanta, chaywanmi llaqta runakunaq willakuy ancha allin kayninta kallpachan.

Sensibilización (quechua)

Radiopi spot nisqa, patrociniomanta advertin, huk forma posible de trafico de personas nisqamanta. Kay modalidadqa sapa kutim karunchan chay víctimakunata ayllunkumanta hinaspa llaqtankumanta, prometespan estudiokunata hinaspa aswan allin hamuq pachaman yaykuyta atisqankuta, ichaqa padrinokunaqa obligasqam kanku unay horakuna llamkanankupaq, chaymi afectan desarrollo integralninkuta.

Padrinazgo (quechua)

Radiopi spot nisqa, chaypim qawarichin Perú suyupa institucionninkunapa llamkayninta, chaynapi runa rantikuypi ñakariqkuna suyupi yapamanta hukllawakunankupaq.

Integración (quechua)

Radiopi spot nisqa, chaymi advertin runakuna traficowan ñak’ariq runakunata, hatun sueldoyoq llulla llank’ana qosqankumanta, chaypin mat’ipayanku usqhaylla huk cheqasman apanankupaq, chay oportunidadta chinkachinankupaq amenazasqa kaspanku. Kayqa huknin aswan riqsisqa contratacion ruwaymi.

Captación (quechua)

Productivity growth is seen as central to economic development and social progress and drives up wages, living standards for workers and the competitiveness of businesses. So, how are different regions and countries increasing productivity, and can it be done in an inclusive way? In this podcast Professor Gaaitzen De Vries in the Department of Global Economics and Management of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and Luca Fedi, Employment specialist of the ILO Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work project, explore this issue and why it matters.

The trillion-dollar question: does rising productivity lift all boats?

Amid rising labour shortages and employers around the world struggling to find skilled workers, labour migration, if managed properly, can help widen the pool of available skills. But the complex issue of increasing migration and the skills challenges faced by migrant workers and employers is huge. So how can we help migrant workers acquire the skills they need to find decent jobs, and employers find the skilled migrant workers they need for their enterprises? And what is the ILO doing to address this question, both in destination countries and countries of origin? In this episode, the ILO’s Christine Hofmann, Regional Skills Specialist for Africa, addresses these issues and the policy response.

Skills for migration and employment: Do we need a new paradigm?

We’re joined by Yeukayi Maposa, a young entrepreneur and Business Growth for Young Entrepreneurs (BG4YE) project beneficiary, who shares her inspiring journey of growth and the impact of the ILO on her business and community in Zimbabwe.

ILO Zimbabwe: Nurturing confidence and life skills through cooking

Good employment policies underpin efforts to create more and better jobs, and help reduce inequalities and poverty, and empower people, especially women, young people and the most vulnerable such as people with disabilities. What is more, these polices also help address decent work deficits and are critically important to the realization of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 8, on promoting sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. In this podcast, Juan Chacaltana, ILO Senior Employment Policies Specialist in the Employment Policy Department, and Alina Game, Technical Officer and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) expert, explain how Employment Impact Assessments involving a variety of tools for evidence-based policy development can help achieve these goals.

Employment Impact Assessment: What we know and why it matters

Can Nature-based Solutions help us address environmental challenges, while laying the groundwork for creating millions of new jobs? A report by the ILO, the UN Environment Programme and the International Union for Conservation of Nature titled “Decent Work in Nature-based Solutions (NbS) says NbS has the potential to add up to 32 million jobs by 2030 to the already more than 60 million working to protect, and restore and sustainably use natural resources with the greatest gains in Africa, Latin America and the Arab States. At the same time, NbS will also require new skills training and reskilling of some workers. In this podcast, two lead editors of the report, Maikel Lieuw-Kie-Song, Senior Technical Specialist of the ILO Employment Policy Department, and Rowan Palmer, Programme Officer in the United Nations Environment Programme’s Economic and Trade Policy Unit explain.

Nature-based Solutions: How protecting the planet can create jobs

« Take a Stand » est un titre inédit de Kids United Nouvelle Génération dédié à l'Année internationale de l'élimination du travail des enfants en 2021.
Crée en collaboration avec l'Organisation internationale du Travail, il est dévoilé à l’occasion de la Journée mondiale de l’enfance le 20 novembre 2020.

Take A Stand

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations and is devoted to promoting social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights, pursuing its founding mission that labour peace is essential to prosperity.

Today, the ILO helps advance the creation of decent work and the economic and working conditions that give working people and business people a stake in lasting peace, prosperity and progress. Its tripartite structure provides a unique platform for promoting decent work for all women and men. 

Its main aims are to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue on work-related issues.

Popular tracks by International Labour Org.