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Future of work and entreprises

France and ILO organize international conference on the future of enterprises

Researchers, government representatives and social partners from France and other countries look at how enterprises and workers can best adapt to future of work challenges.

Press release | 21 October 2016
PARIS (ILO News) – The role of enterprises in the future of work is at the heart of discussions taking place in Paris on the occasion of the 2016 edition of “Les Entretiens France-BIT”, an international conference organized by the ILO Research Department, the ILO Country Office for France and the French Ministry of Labour.

Some 250 researchers, academics, worker and employer representatives as well as ILO and French government officials are attending the event, which is related to both the “Future of work Initiative” and the “Enterprises Initiative” launched by ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.

“This conference provides an opportunity to highlight the changing role of the enterprise in the daily life of employers and workers,” commented Ryder.

“The ILO’s vision of enterprises underlines how productive efficiency, quality jobs, workers’ rights and social dialogue go hand in hand and reinforce each other,” he added.

The ILO head will join one of the conference sessions together with representatives of the French social partners. The French Minister of Labour, Apprenticeship and Social Dialogue, Myriam El Khomri, is expected to deliver the closing speech.

The three other conference sessions focus on:
  • How enterprises organize themselves to produce and reply to market demands and the consequences for work and employment.
  • How firms value work and the balance between economic and social performance.
  • Globalization and how transnational enterprises can deal with international labour standards.

The enterprise will be a key location where the future of work will take shape."

Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General
“The enterprise will be a key location where the future of work will take shape, and I believe this will be highlighted by participants in today’s discussion in Paris,” added the ILO Director-General.

“The French social partners have swiftly come up with ideas to initiate a debate on both the challenges and opportunities arising from the current changes in the world of work. This conference will help to broaden the debate by bringing in international experts,” concluded Cyril Cosme, Director of the ILO Country Office for France.

The Future of Work: Challenges and Opportunities

Jeff Johnson, deputy director of the Research department at the ILO,answered your questions on how enterprises will tackle the challenges and opportunities of work in the future.