News and events on the future of work

  1. ILO calls for concrete action to tackle youth employment challenge in Latin America

    03 May 2016

    ILO Director-General Guy Ryder has paid a two-day visit to Colombia where he met with President Juan Manuel Santos and tripartite Colombian representatives. He also addressed the 9th Ibero-American Conference of Ministers of Labour emphasising the persistent challenges of youth unemployment and informality.

  2. Professor Jayati Ghosh discusses technology and the future of work

    28 April 2016

    The greatest anxiety in the world of work today relates to the disappearance of jobs. Professor Jayati Ghosh, from the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, explains the different ways technological change affects employment, and what governments in Asia should do to cushion the impact.

  3. Future of Work: lessons from South Africa

    29 March 2016

    Bheki Ntshalintshali, General Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) discusses possible ways to overcome the technological advancement in the world of work and how trade unions can influence the discussion around the ILO Centenary initiative on the Future of Work.

  4. Future of Work: lessons from New Zealand

    29 March 2016

    Helen Kelly from the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU) explains some perspectives from New Zealand regarding the future of work. She gives her views about the challenges and opportunities for Unions on the future of work and how they can influence the discussion around the ILO Centenary initiative on the Future of Work.

  5. Ulrich Walwei: Digitalization will transform and create new job opportunities

    11 March 2016

    As part of a two day conference on ILO/IZA Conference on “Assessing the Effects of Labour Market Reforms – A Global Perspective” , ILO Director-General, Mr Guy Ryder moderated a Panel Discussion on Labour Market Reforms and the Future of Work. “Digitalization will create a considerable shift in types of employment and the skills needed to perform those jobs,” said Ulrich Walwei, of the Institut für Arbeitsmarkt und Berufsforschung (IAB). He added that the potential it creates for mobile work could create new opportunities for workers with disabilities and stay-at-home caregivers.

  6. Dominique Méda: Labour market reforms are needed within framework of “ecological reconversion”

    10 March 2016

    As part of a two day conference on ILO/IZA Conference on “Assessing the Effects of Labour Market Reforms – A Global Perspective” , ILO Director-General, Mr Guy Ryder moderated a Panel Discussion on Labour Market Reforms and the Future of Work. Dominique Méda, of the University of Paris-Dauphine, stressed the need for labour market reforms aimed at improving the quality of jobs and working conditions, within a framework of what she called “ecological reconversion”. (In French)

  7. Patricia Flynn: The benefits of quotas for future female executives

    10 March 2016

    As part of a two day conference on ILO/IZA Conference on “Assessing the Effects of Labour Market Reforms – A Global Perspective” , ILO Director-General, Mr Guy Ryder moderated a Panel Discussion on Labour Market Reforms and the Future of Work. Looking at the future for women in business, Patricia Flynn of Bentley University, discussed the significant progress some countries have made in raising the share of female corporate directors by introducing voluntary or mandatory gender quotas on corporate boards.

  8. Kemal Derviş: Work in the future should be fulfilling

    10 March 2016

    As part of a two day conference on ILO/IZA Conference on “Assessing the Effects of Labour Market Reforms – A Global Perspective” , ILO Director-General, Mr Guy Ryder moderated a Panel Discussion on Labour Market Reforms and the Future of Work. Kemal Derviş, Vice president and Director of Global Economy and Development at the Brookings Institution, cited Keynes saying that “the current social and political transformation should ensure that people do less work that is not fulfilling, but still have enough income to lead a decent life.”

  9. László Andor: Harness technological changes to create quality jobs

    10 March 2016

    As part of a two day conference on ILO/IZA Conference on “Assessing the Effects of Labour Market Reforms – A Global Perspective” , ILO Director-General, Mr Guy Ryder moderated a Panel Discussion on Labour Market Reforms and the Future of Work. László Andor, from Corvinus University in Budapest, brought a positive perspective to the impact new technologies could bring for the quantity and quality of jobs.

  10. Raymond Torres: The future of work need not be a race to the bottom for workers

    10 March 2016

    As part of a two day conference on ILO/IZA Conference on “Assessing the Effects of Labour Market Reforms – A Global Perspective” , ILO Director-General, Mr Guy Ryder moderated a Panel Discussion on Labour Market Reforms and the Future of Work. Raymond Torres, Special Adviser at the ILO on employment issues and the future of work discussed how the ILO and international cooperation can help exploit the benefits of trends shaping the future of work and still protect workers.