White Paper

Over the past several decades, there has been a growing diversification in working arrangements in G20 countries. This diversification reflects profound changes in the world of work, namely globalization and technological advances, including digitalization, that have facilitated the creation and dispersion of production networks across the globe. These transformations, coupled with the rise of artificial intelligence and robotics, the growth of the “platform economy” and subsequent casualization of labour markets, have raised questions about the future of work. In particular, they have also raised questions about how social protection systems, including social insurance and tax- financed mechanisms, can adapt to these changes. The diversification of employment arrangements, as exemplified through the decline of “standard employment” 1 , and the rise of “non-standard employment” (NSE), provides opportunities and challenges for the future world of work in general, and social protection in particular. While uniformity is neither desired nor necessary, this diversification has nonetheless brought challenges for the attainment of decent work, given that many labour laws and social security policies were to a large extent predicated on the standard employment relationship. The challenge is therefore to adapt labour and social protection policies so as to foster an inclusive labour market for the future. This paper sets out trends and provides insights on how to cope with challenges arising from the growing diversification of employment arrangements with respect to strengthening social protection, within a broader context of employment and social policies. It provides data and insight into some of the larger challenges that have accompanied this transformation and describes a range of policy responses

This portfolio of 21 policy guidance notes has been developed as part of the knowledge products of the Outcome 5 on the promotion of decent work in the rural economy. The guidance notes complement the existing ILO policy briefs on rural development that were published in 2011.8 The portfolio illustrates the ILO’s holistic approach to promoting decent work in the rural economy and brings together the broad range of instruments and tools developed by the ILO over the past years. The goal of the policy guidance notes is to offer guidance to policymakers, the social partners and development practitioners on ways to effectively address employment- and labour-related issues in the rural context. The portfolio should lead to concrete action to ensure that account is taken of the key role of decent work in paving the way for social and economic advancement in rural areas, and should ultimately enable the ILO and its constituents to assist countries in factoring decent work priorities into rural development plans and policies.

The World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2016 provides a global overview of recent trends in employment, unemployment and labour force participation as well as different dimensions of job quality such as vulnerable employment and working poverty. The report covers all countries in the world and describes patterns in the main regions and sectors. It also presents projections for the period 2015–17 for employment and unemployment. A key finding is that the expansion of the world economy has been too weak to close the significant employment and social gaps that have emerged since the beginning of the global crisis in 2008. Around 197 million people were unemployed in the world in 2015, and the projections are for a further increase in global unemployment by more than 3 million people over the next two years. Since 2007, more than 76 million jobs have been lost and this jobs gap is set to widen further mainly due to a continuous decline in the labour force in developed countries and rising unemployment in emerging economies.

This Inception Report raises the curtain on the work of the Global Commission. In keeping with the broad scope we hope you will bring to your work, it consciously avoids steering the Commission’s deliberations towards specific issues or prejudging the nature of your guidance regarding the profound changes in the world of work and the development of a common vision of the future of work we want. Instead, the Report tries to set the stage for a rich discussion culminating in a Commission Report for the ILO centenary year, 2019. To that end, we have organized the Inception Report as follows: Chapter 1 provides a snapshot of the megatrends affecting the world of work today. Chapter 2 examines the meaning of work for individuals and society. Chapter 3 discusses the ways in which technology and other trends are affecting job creation. Chapter 4 looks at the organization of work and production. Finally, Chapter 5 discusses the governance of work.

In a climate of renewed concerns about global economic growth, youth unemployment is on the rise after several years of improvement and job quality, especially in emerging and developing countries, remains a major concern for youth leading to an increased willingness to migrate. Progress has been made in terms of educational attainment, but too many young people are neither employed, nor in education or training while persistent gender gaps undermine social progress. Improving outcomes for youth is fundamental to building inclusive and sustainable societies.

This report aims at presenting trends on work-related stress in both developed and developing countries with a view to raising awareness of the magnitude of the problem in the new context of the world of work. To this end it provides an interregional overview of the prevalence and impact of work-related stress, and examines legislation, policies and interventions for its management at international, regional, national and workplace levels. Through a Delphi survey it further identifies and assesses future scenarios and contributing factors in this field. The results of this study will also be used in supporting ILO constituents to take action in this field at national and enterprise levels

The world of work is undergoing major changes that will continue, and potentially intensify, in the future. To better understand and in order to respond effectively to these new challenges, the ILO has launched a “Future of Work initiative” and proposed four “centenary conversations” for debates in the years leading up to its centenary anniversary in 2019: (i) work and society; (ii) decent work for all; (iii) the organization of work and production; and (iv) the governance of work. This Issue Note Series intends to provide an overview of key trends and issues in selected thematic areas of particular relevance to the “conversations” with a view to informing and facilitating dialogue and debates at the national, regional and global levels.

Non-standard forms of employment (hereinafter “non-standard employment”, or “NSE”) have become a contemporary feature of labour markets around the world. For some, working in NSE is an explicit choice and has positive outcomes. However, for most workers, employment in NSE is associated with insecurity. NSE can also pose challenges for enterprises, the overall performance of labour markets and economies as well as societies at large. Supporting decent work for all requires an in-depth understanding of NSE and its implications. This report details trends and consequences of NSE and draws on international labour standards and national experience to advance policy recommendations that help to ensure protection of workers, sustainable enterprises and well-functioning labour markets.

This report, based on an analysis of employment patterns in over 180 countries at all levels of development, finds that employment patterns have changed considerably over the past decade. Full-time, stable employment contracts represent less than one in four jobs and that statistic is not improving noticeably. Moreover, a continuation of past trends would suggest that the incidence of stable employment relationships will represent an even smaller fraction of the total number of jobs in coming years.