Release of the joint EC-ILO publication “Trade and Employment: From Myths to Facts”
The edited volume “Trade and Employment: From Myths to Facts” is the outcome of a joint project of the European Commission and the International Labour Office. The book contributes to promoting the advancement of employment, decent work and social cohesion in developing countries by assisting policy makers and social partners in anticipating and addressing the effects of trade reforms on employment
Trade negotiations –bilateral, regional or multilateral – routinely lead to debates on the implications for employment. There are promises of new and better jobs as well as concerns over job losses and pressure on wages and labour rights. Factual assessments of the employment and distributional impacts of trade agreements are, however, too often missing.
“Trade and Employment: From Myths to Facts” tries to address this disconnect between the prominence of trade and employment linkages in the public debate and the relative absence of factual assessments of the employment implications of trade by taking stock of the most recent evidence, and by providing guidance on the design of tools to assess the employment impacts of trade. The book also provides guidance on the design of policy mixes that promote open markets whilst at the same time promoting quality jobs with adequate levels of social protection.
The volume argues in favour of developing more appropriate methodologies for the evaluation of the employment effects of trade, including the informal economy and adjustment processes. The book will prove to be useful for all those who are interested in the debate on the employment effects of trade: workers and employers, academics and policy-makers, and trade and labour specialists.
“Trade and Employment: From Myths to Facts” tries to address this disconnect between the prominence of trade and employment linkages in the public debate and the relative absence of factual assessments of the employment implications of trade by taking stock of the most recent evidence, and by providing guidance on the design of tools to assess the employment impacts of trade. The book also provides guidance on the design of policy mixes that promote open markets whilst at the same time promoting quality jobs with adequate levels of social protection.
The volume argues in favour of developing more appropriate methodologies for the evaluation of the employment effects of trade, including the informal economy and adjustment processes. The book will prove to be useful for all those who are interested in the debate on the employment effects of trade: workers and employers, academics and policy-makers, and trade and labour specialists.