ILO launched the new Employment Policy Action Facility (EPAF) and a Care Policy Investment Simulator

ILO recently launched two new instruments to support member states and social partners in developing, formulating, implementing, financing, and reviewing employment policies in line with current and future challenges at both global and national levels.

The first one is the Employment Policy Action Facility (EPAF), a web-based knowledge-sharing and technical assistance platform that provides easy access to employment policy expertise and collects ILO's latest evidence, expertise, and policy advice, including a list of critical resources relevant to different stages of the policy action process.

The platform is based on a gender perspective, including gender-responsive employment diagnostic guidelines and gender-sensitive employment policies.

It includes two sections: the Employment Diagnostic Toolbox, containing tools, resources, and guidance on country analytics to support evidence-based policymaking, and the Employment Policy Design Lab, which shows the best approach and good practices to help policymakers. Information on pro-employment macroeconomic policies and budgeting, employment services to support jobseekers, youth employment, and job-rich and just green transition policies are also included.

According to Mia Seppo, the Assistant Director General for Jobs and Social Protection at the ILO, this tool "will help to bridge the gap between technical support and policy action," underlining that "The launch is also very timely as the ILO is now working to implement the UN Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions in countries and the EPAF has much to offer to support this collective initiative at the crucial juncture of the global economy and labour markets."

The second one is the Care Policy Investment Simulator. This most significant online care policy modelling tool will be available for the general public, developed by ILO with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

It calculates the investment requirements in 4 care policy areas (job generation, reduction in gender employment and wage gaps, and return on investment) and the related employment and gender equality benefits for 82 countries based on over 180 statistical indicators.

These new tools confirm that technologies can be an essential vehicle to support gender transformation policies.