The November session was attended by around 4,900 delegates – representing Governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations - and observers accredited, including 157 ministers and vice-ministers and high-level representatives from workers and employers, from 181 ILO Member States.

On Saturday 11^th December, the Conference adopted its resolutions and conclusions on:

• Skills and Life-long Learning, highlighting that skills development, education, training and lifelong learning enable individuals to acquire the necessary capabilities and qualifications to become active members of labour markets and society. In addition to ensuring that skills should be in line with labour market needs, all constituents reaffirmed that skills development and lifelong learning is an investment for the future and represents a key enabler of productivity improvement. The proposed resolution also calls on the ILO to develop a strategy and action plan to promote skills development and lifelong learning for the period 2022-2030.
• Inequalities in the World of Work, calling for an urgent need to address the different dimensions of inequality in the world of work. The proposed resolutions require combined, coordinated and coherent interventions at various levels, adapted to specific country circumstances. To do so, constituents agreed that employment creation, an enabling environment for sustainable enterprises, an increase of productivity and global trade, as well as the reduction of informality are among the key areas to reduce inequalities. All constituents call explicitly on the Office to strengthening the work of the ILO on decent work and productivity in addition to engaging with international financial institutions and other relevant organizations with regard to emergency support for employment, business continuity and labour and social protection.

Despite the many sensitive issues covered, IOE was pleased to see that these two general discussions acknowledged the importance of developing the adequate skills and life-long learning in line with labour market needs for the world of work as well as the key role played by global trade, diversity, an increase of productivity and an enabling environment for sustainable enterprises in reducing inequalities. IOE was equally satisfied with the call of the constituents on the ILO to strengthen its work in these areas.

The World Employment Confederation (WEC) welcomes those conclusions, that also highlight the role played by private employment agencies in the implementation of lifelong career counselling, vocational guidance and post-training support to assist people of all ages in labour transitions.