2004

1. Eliminating child labour: The costs and benefits

   06 February 2004

   A just-released study by the ILO International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), "Investing in Every Child: An Economic Study of the Costs and Benefits of Eliminating Child Labour", argues that the benefits of eliminating child labour will far outweigh the costs. Peter Dorman, the author of the report, explains the costs and benefits of eliminating child labour and how the proposal may be applied.

2. Unemployment - an enormous challenge for Latin America and the Caribbean

   13 January 2004

   A new ILO report paints a grim picture of unemployment in Latin America and the Caribbean. With 19 million jobless workers in Latin America's cities and unemployment hovering at above 10 per cent, the ILO says any recovery will require strong measures - including a reorientation of economic priorities and a more equitable globalization process.

2003

1. Migrant health workers: Is one country’s gain another’s pain?

   19 December 2003

   Severe staff and skill shortages in the health systems of many countries have fostered the active recruitment of health workers from abroad, and this migration poses a potential threat to the health systems of developing countries, says a new ILO report which focuses on the situation of migrant nurses. Monica Evans from the ILO London Office spoke with the author, Dr. Stephen Bach.

2. In Afghanistan, paving the way to a brighter future

   15 December 2003

   After more than two decades of war, road- and bridge-building has become an essential part of Afghanistan's reconstruction. The ILO Crisis Response and Reconstruction Programme is using labour-based methods to fix not only the streets in Kabul, but also pave the way to long-term job creation and decent work.

3. Women seafarers: Fighting against the tide? As on land, so by sea: Women join the ranks of seafarers

   01 December 2003

   Once only figureheads on the world's ocean-going ships, the entrance of women into the seafaring trade is a small, but growing phenomenon. Yet as women work their way onto the world's great ships, salt and the sea are only part of the challenges they face. As a new landmark ILO study points out, discrimination, sexual harassment and deep skepticism over their strengths and capabilities can be equally challenging.

4. Carving out a place in global markets: For Indonesia's traditional woodworking industry, globalization poses new challenges

   01 December 2003

   Globalization is altering the traditional wood furniture sector in Central Java, Indonesia, the major employer and export earner of this province. This labour- and resource-intensive industry is facing growing pressure from two sides: competitive strategies from other Asian countries such as China, Malaysia, the Phillipines and Vietnam that are cheaper and more responsive to global buyers' needs for quality, delivery and close customer relations, and an unsustainable rate of logging in the Indonesian teak plantations that, if left unchecked, will undermine this industry's supply of teak and mahogany in the next five years. The result? Jepara's wood working industry is now at a crossroads.

5. Union "dot orgs" come of age

   01 December 2003

   "Am I being paid what I should be, for the work I'm doing?" is a question many people ask but often find difficult to answer. Now, Internet sites dedicated to workplace issues can resolve this and other queries. Writer Andrew Bibby examines how workers and employers are navigating the information highway on bread and butter issues.

6. A universal challenge: Social security for the world

   01 December 2003

   Only one in five people worldwide enjoys adequate social security coverage. Faced with this stark reality, the ILO has initiated a new global campaign to encourage and assist member States to extend social security to all of their citizens. The Global Campaign on Social Security and Coverage for All, reflects a global consensus among governments, employers and workers to take up this challenge. In this report, World of Work outlines this new campaign.

7. "We created jobs...": The forest peoples of Mayurbhanj

   01 December 2003

   In two and a half years, an innovative ILO project has helped create well over 2,000 jobs, and pull more than 200 indebted families out of a debt trap. This three-year ILO INDISCO project aims at creating decent employment for tribal peoples in the remote forests of Mayurbhanj in Orissa, India, and is well on its way to becoming a replicable model.

8. Xth African Regional Meeting: Decent work for Africa’s development: Signs of hope

   01 December 2003

   Half of Africa’s population, over 300 million people, live in extreme poverty on the equivalent of US$1 a day or less – the highest intra-regional poverty level and the widest gap between rich and poor in the world. Strategies for reducing such poverty and closing this gap through a job-centred development agenda are the main items on the table at the ILO 10th African Regional Meeting, on 2 to 5 December, in Addis Ababa. What are the key issues facing Africa today and what can be done about them?