High-level conference - The Future of Work: Today. Tomorrow. For All.
A conference organized by the European Commission discussed the changes taking place in the world of work and explored how the future of work can be inclusive.
A high-level conference on the Future of Work hosted by the European Commission brought together around 500 participants including Ministers, representatives from EU institutions, ILO, national governments, social partners, civil society and academia.
Participants explored how to best harness changes in the world of work for the benefit of workers, businesses, society and the economy alike. Ten takeaways emerged from the discussions.
“The rapid changes in the world of work are creating great uncertainty. People are asking themselves if their jobs will exist tomorrow, if their skills will be relevant, if their boss will be an algorithm, if robots will take over,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder in his video message.
The report of the ILO Global Commission on the Future of Work calls for a human-centred agenda that places people and the work they do at the centre of economic and social policy and business practices. This agenda resonates strongly with the European Pillar of Social Rights, which provides a substantive platform for labour markets to deliver decent work and social justice.
“The challenge facing us all today is to reinvigorate the social contract that took form in 1919 when governments, employers and workers came together to commit themselves to work together for social justice. Nowhere has that contract been translated into more effective action and far-reaching achievements than in the European project,” Mr Ryder concluded.
The ILO also joined a session on how the EU can best harness globalisation in a way that contributes to the promotion of decent work.
Deborah Greenfield, ILO Deputy Director-General for Policy, stressed that we cannot separate social and economic policies: they go hand in hand in creating the future that we want.
The EU is at the forefront of promoting decent work as an integral part of its trade strategy, by incorporating core International Labour Standards. “These efforts bear fruit, both as preconditions for signing trade agreements, and to promote development cooperation activities after signing,” she said. It also facilitates the development of value chains, in ways that are employment rich and characterized by decent work.
The ILO will hold a Centenary Conference in June. The Conference aims to adopt an authoritative document, most probably a Declaration, as the ILO faces up to the challenges of the world of work in the 21st Century.
Participants explored how to best harness changes in the world of work for the benefit of workers, businesses, society and the economy alike. Ten takeaways emerged from the discussions.
“The rapid changes in the world of work are creating great uncertainty. People are asking themselves if their jobs will exist tomorrow, if their skills will be relevant, if their boss will be an algorithm, if robots will take over,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder in his video message.
The report of the ILO Global Commission on the Future of Work calls for a human-centred agenda that places people and the work they do at the centre of economic and social policy and business practices. This agenda resonates strongly with the European Pillar of Social Rights, which provides a substantive platform for labour markets to deliver decent work and social justice.
“The challenge facing us all today is to reinvigorate the social contract that took form in 1919 when governments, employers and workers came together to commit themselves to work together for social justice. Nowhere has that contract been translated into more effective action and far-reaching achievements than in the European project,” Mr Ryder concluded.
The ILO also joined a session on how the EU can best harness globalisation in a way that contributes to the promotion of decent work.
Deborah Greenfield, ILO Deputy Director-General for Policy, stressed that we cannot separate social and economic policies: they go hand in hand in creating the future that we want.
The EU is at the forefront of promoting decent work as an integral part of its trade strategy, by incorporating core International Labour Standards. “These efforts bear fruit, both as preconditions for signing trade agreements, and to promote development cooperation activities after signing,” she said. It also facilitates the development of value chains, in ways that are employment rich and characterized by decent work.
The ILO will hold a Centenary Conference in June. The Conference aims to adopt an authoritative document, most probably a Declaration, as the ILO faces up to the challenges of the world of work in the 21st Century.