On 10 January 2024, the International Labour Organization (ILO) published a new annual report on the global labour market, employment trends, and emerging labour market challenges.
The report shows a complex scenario, characterised by disparities between high- and low-income countries, a large part of the workforce employed informally and the prevision of a slight increase in global unemployment in 2024.
At the same time, although the recovery from the pandemic remains uneven and economic conditions due to inflation have worsened, labour markets have shown impressive resilience.
On 29 November 2023, the ILO presented its new Approach to Good Governance and Decent Work in Uzbekistan's Cotton, Textile, and Apparel Sectors.
The ILO approach aims to achieve important objectives, such as respecting fundamental principles and labour rights in the cotton supply chain, developing inclusive and sustainable enterprises, and strengthening the capacity of employers' and workers' organisations to promote decent work.
A technical meeting on decent and sustainable work in the inland waterways sector was held in Geneva from 20 to 24 November 2023 to discuss opportunities, challenges, and future actions.
Representatives from governments, workers, and employers adopted a set of conclusions and recommendations to guide ILO and its Member States, encouraging a strict collaboration with river and regional economic commissions.
The 21st International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) took place in Geneva from 11 to 20 October 2023, marking the centenary of the first Conference.
Workers, employers, and governments from ILO member state delegates from around 140 countries addressed critical issues related to labour market statistics and ILO statistical activities.
Topics covered ranged from informality, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators, violence and harassment at work, international labour migration, International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO), child and forced labour, and cooperatives.
Last January, workers, employers, and government representatives from the region met online for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Leadership Programme on the Just Transition to discuss the latest research, knowledge, and insights and to share best practices in shaping a just transition to a green future of work.
On 28-29 November 2022, in Algiers, in collaboration with the Algerian Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, took place the first regional meeting of the Social Dialogue for Formalization and Employability in the Southern Neighbourhood Region (SOLIFEM) Project.
Constituents from Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) discussed with International Labour Organization (ILO) experts, the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) the achievements of the SOLIFEM project in the inception phase and re-affirmed the importance of social dialogue as a path towards formalisation and decent work for youth in the Middle East and North Africa region.
A technical meeting on the future of work in the oil and gas industry was held in Geneva from 28 November to 2 December 2022, as decided at its 341st Session (March 2021) by the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The meeting discussed opportunities and challenges for a just transition to a future of work that contributes to sustainable development in its economic, social and environmental dimensions.
ILO just released the Global Wage 2022-2023 Report, one of its flagship reports on wage trends and policies at national and global levels that looks at the global economy and labour market context and the impact that the pandemic has had on wages.
This edition shows that, in the first half of 2022, there was the first negative global wage growth recorded since the start of the 21st Century.