Talenteum, the HR Fintech Startup that matches Talents from Africa willing to work remotely with international companies, recently published a white paper highlighting AI's crucial role in recognising migrant skills and fostering digital inclusion.
According to the paper, the effective use of AI in integrating migrant talent presents a unique opportunity to enhance workforce diversity, drive innovation, and promote social responsibility.
The presented challenges and solutions offer a roadmap to more effectively leveraging migrant talent, ensuring that businesses remain competitive and socially responsible in a rapidly evolving digital economy.
On 11 March 2024, European Union (EU) employment and social affairs ministers confirmed the provisional agreement on the platform work directive reached on 8 February 2024 between the Council's presidency and the European Parliament's negotiators.
The agreement sets a precedent for regulating algorithmic management and ensuring fair labour practices in the digital labour market.
Randstad recently published the Workmonitor 2024 report, which provides an in-depth analysis of emerging labour market trends, worker attitudes, and the future of employment based on a comprehensive global survey.
The report highlights key issues such as the impact of technology on jobs, the rise of remote work, and the evolving expectations of employees towards work-life balance and job security.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) recently released, on January 2024, the Law and Practise report in the emerging field of digital labour platforms and their impact in the World of Work.
The Law and Practise report (known as White Report), is intended to inform the discussions at the 2025-2026 Standard Setting on Platform Economy and to help Member States in responding to the appended questionnaire.
The inputs and responses provided by the Member States will set the base for the Yellow Report, which will be the draft report discussed in the first sitting of the Platform Economy Standard Setting in 2025.
On 22 December 2023, member states’ failed to find a majority over the platform work directive deal negotiated with the European Commission and the European Parliament.
The negotiation for an agreement on the directive on platform work will continue under the Belgian Presidency as of 1 January 2024.
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 14 December 2023, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament agreed on a text for the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).
It requires formal approval by the Legal Affairs Committee and the European Parliament as a whole, as well as by the Council (EU governments) to enter into force.
It aims to enhance the protection of the environment and human rights in the EU and globally.
The Commission proposal was introduced on 23 February 2022, and the Council adopted its general approach on 1 December 2022.
On 30 November 2023, Eurofound published a new research report on the right to disconnect.
The report is based on a survey of employees and HR managers in Belgium, France, Italy, and Spain. It examines how the right to disconnect is implemented at the company level.
On 12 December 2023, ILO presented its first global report on public employment services (PES) and active labour market policies (ALMPs), published on 14 July 2023.
ILO presented its main findings during an online launch event, with the participation of the World Employment Confederation (WEC), the World Association of Public Employment Services (WAPES), and the World Bank (WB).
The report's findings will be used to provide technical advisory services for ILO Member States.
On 8 December 2023, the Council presidency and the European Parliament's negotiators reached a provisional agreement on the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act.
The Act aims to ensure that AI systems in the EU respect fundamental rights and values, while stimulating innovation and investment in AI in Europe.
Both Parliament and Council must formally adopt the agreed text for it to become EU law.
The AI Act should apply two years after it enters into force.
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.
On 6 November 2023, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published the Skills Outlook 2023, which examines developments and trends in skills, employment and the global economy.
The 2023 edition focuses on skills change resulting from the green and digital transition and the role of skills policies in ensuring economic and social resilience.
"Fit for 55" is a policy package adopted in 2021 by EU policymakers that contains critical objectives to achieve a 55 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
On 25 October 2023, Eurofound released a new report that forecasts how the “Fit for 55” policy package may affect employment in the EU by 2030.
According to the report, employment gains will vary widely among countries and regions depending on their reliance on carbon-intensive industries and their ability to exploit greening opportunities.
On 27 September 2023, ILO published a new policy brief on occupational safety and health (OSH) in a just transition.
The policy brief aims to provide information and recommendations to implement a just transition with a focus on occupational safety and health, considering each country's needs and priorities.
A new reportpublished by the ILO in August 2023 presents a global analysis of tasks and occupations implications to generative Artificial Intelligence.
According to the study, technology is likely to automate some tasks within an occupation while leaving time for other duties, as opposed to fully automating occupations.
This study disregards the widespread concern that such technology could lead to job displacement. Lost jobs and industries are only partially exposed to automation and will be augmented and not replaced by generative AI.
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work announced a new Healthy Workplaces Campaign for 2023-2025, which will be launched in October 2023, aiming to raise awareness of occupational safety and health in the digital age throughout Europe.
The campaign seeks to create a greater understanding of the digital-related occupational safety and health challenges and opportunities at work, promoting a culture of risk prevention.
On 11 July 2023, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released the Employment Outlook 2023, which shows the latest labour market developments in OECD countries.
It focuses on wage developments and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the labour market (an OECD first-ever study in this area).
Assuming an imminent technological revolution that could radically change the workplace, the report states that there are no signs of slowing labour demand, in the short-term, but possible changes in job quality and tasks.
On 29 June 2023, Eurofound published a new research report on Minimum Wages in 2023.
The report analyses gross statutory minimum wages valid in 2023 in a highly inflationary environment and maps wage levels in collective agreements for some low-paid workers in countries without a statutory minimum wage, comparing wage trends and longer-term trends in labor productivity.
It also examines the early impacts of the EU directive on adequate minimum wages.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) held its 111th annual Conference in Geneva, from 5 to 16 June 2023. It closed with the adoption of a new recommendation on quality apprenticeships, and new resolutions on just transition and labour protection.
Around 5,000 delegates representing governments, workers, and employers from the ILO’s 187 Member States were accredited to the Conference.
EU Member States have drawn up a new framework agreement to regulate cross-border teleworkers' social security position.
This agreement clarifies which conditions workers working in another Member State other than the one in which their employer’s premises can still be covered under the employer’s country social security system.
It enters into force from 1 July 2023, for a period of 5 years and shall be automatically extended each time for another 5 years.
To date, the Member States that have either signed the agreement, or have indicated they will sign, are Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Liechtenstein, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Slovakia, Ireland, Lithuania, Estonia, Norway, Malta, Portugal, and Poland.
On 12 June 2023, the EU Council agreed on the proposal for a Directive onimproving the working conditions in platform work and on a general approach. The proposal introduces two key improvements. It supports the determination of the correct employment status of digital platforms workers and establishes the first EU rules on the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace.
In its 11th edition, the Report highlights how international cooperation to strengthen employment and social protection can help address the growing disparities between high- and low-income countries.
On 12 April 2023, Eurofound published a new research paper on the impact of climate change and policies to manage the transition to a carbon-neutral economy on employment, working conditions, social dialogue, and living conditions.
It also identifies the opportunities and risks climate change policies bring to European labour markets.
On 5 April 2023, the European Commission published the 2022 annual report on intra-EU labour mobility, which identifies trends in the free movement of workers.
The 2022 edition focuses on cross-border workers in the EU and EFTA, on the one hand, and mobility of persons with specific occupations.
On 28 April 2023, the ILO published a new report on the global implementation status of some key provisions in the fundamental Conventions No. 155 and 187.
The publication took place on the World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2023, celebrating the decision to include a safe and healthy work environment in the ILO Fundamental Principles and Rights framework.
It shows that, even if progress has been made, the health and safety of numerous workers worldwide are still at risk due to a lack of appropriate occupational safety and health (OSH) action in several crucial areas. It is essential to address the issue of the suffering caused for workers and their families, and the associated economic costs are colossal for enterprises and countries.
On 28 March 2023, Eurofound published a new research report showing how many countries have addressed labour shortages through more robust labour market policies and education and training measures focused on the skills and occupations demanded in the labour market.
On 23 March 2023, The Governing Body (GB) of the International Labour Organization (ILO) concluded its 347th session.
This particularly challenging session included topic issues for the world of work, from decent work in the platform economy and supply chains to the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the situations in Myanmar, Belarus, and Venezuela.
On 30 March 2023, the European Union Parliament adopted the Pay Transparency Directive, approving the legislative proposal of the European Commission based on equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women.
The Council will have to formally approve the agreement before the text is signed into law and published in the EU Official Journal, and the new provisions will come into force twenty days after their publication.
On 7 march 2023, the EU Council presidency and European Parliament negotiators concluded a political agreement on a European Year of Skills from 9 May 2023 until 8 May 2024.
The European Commission welcomed the agreement, now subject to formal approval by the European Parliament and the Council.
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.
On 13 February 2023, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published a new report that measures the effects of teleworking on work-life balance, pay, and career advancement from a gender perspective, showing mixed results.
It reveals that prevailing gender norms are likely to mediate the effect of teleworking on all three outcomes and should be a focus of future research.
On 15 March 2023, the International Labour Organization (ILO) published a new report on key workers – who played a vital role during the COVID-19 pandemic – and their relevance in the daily functioning of economies, examining their working conditions, wages, and the challenges they face.
In a new report, Adecco, in collaboration with Ius Laboris, analysed the wages of Adecco associates from 17 countries compared to national minimum wages.
It shows that agency work can be a model for the flexibility workers and businesses look for in this digital age of rapid economic change, allowing agency workers to make a decent living.
The paper also looks into the concept of wage and wage setting more generally in these times of inflation.
On 16 January 2023, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) launched the new flagship report on the impact of the economic slowdown on the global labour market, providing a comprehensive overview in light of various crises and international conflicts.
It shows that the current situation is likely to force more workers to accept lower quality, poorly paid jobs which lack job security and social protection, so accentuating inequalities exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis.
On 14 November 2022, ILO published a report on the transition of enterprises, considering them not only in terms of how goods and services are produced but also as a workplace.
The report highlights how to help enterprises and workplaces become green and productive in environmentally sustainable ways, identifying s a range of measures and giving workers a role in the process.
It shows that the greening of workplaces is an increasingly important element of the greening of enterprises.
On 8 December 2022, Eurofound published a new report on telework during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
It analyses changes in working conditions experienced by employees and regulations, addressing issues related to this working arrangement, shaping the future of remote working, and identifying challenges and opportunities for the future.
Last December, the European Parliament voted on measures to improve conditions for workers on digital labour platforms, particularly on their employment status and automated systems monitoring their work.
The text, adopted with 41 votes to 12, will constitute a negotiating mandate and be subject to trialogue negotiations in 2023.
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