Virtual Symposium

Integrating Trade and Decent Work: Assessing impact of trade on labour markets

The Virtual Symposium on “Integrating Trade and Decent Work: Assessing impact of trade on labour markets” is jointly organized by the ILO Research Department and the European Commission.

The event will present the key outputs of the “Trade, enterprises and labour markets: diagnostic and firm level assessment” (ASSESS) project, followed by an interactive roundtable discussion on trade and labour market challenges, with the participation of government representatives and social partners. The target audience includes technical experts, policymakers, ILO tripartite constituents and international organizations.




The purpose of this event is to present key findings from the project “Trade, enterprises and labour markets: diagnostic and firm level assessment”. The project is funded and supported by the European Commission (EC) and is one component of a broader ILO Research Programme on Integrating Trade and Decent Work (INTEGRATE). The aim of the project is to inform on polices to anticipate and mitigate the labour market impacts of trade at the macro, sectoral and enterprise level through a human-centred approach that treats decent work as a central objective of trade policy, as called for in the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work (2019). This requires a better understanding of the methodologies, frameworks and indicators used to assess impacts of trade on the labour market.

Key final outputs of the project will be launched at the symposium:
  • Trade and Decent Work: Indicator Guide, assesses the 46 labour market indicators linked to trade, taking into account different aspects of decent work;
  • Trade and Decent Work: Handbook of methodologies, analyses techniques for assessing the impact of trade on labour at the macro, meso and micro levels;
  • Country case studies at the sectoral and enterprise level, for Mexico and Viet Nam that investigate the impact of trade on specific labour market indicators.
     

    • Agenda

    14:00 – 14:10 Opening and Introduction
    • Richard SAMANS, ILO, Director, Research Department
    • Jordi CURELL, Director, Labour Mobility and International Affairs, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
    14:10 – 15:00 Trade and Decent Work: Overview and key findings (Moderator: DGEMPL)
    • Overview: “Integrating Trade and Decent Work”, Marva CORLEY-COULIBALY and Pelin SEKERLER RICHIARDI, ILO
    • Key findings from Mexico: Juan Carlos MORENO-BRID, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
    • Key findings from Vietnam: PHAM NGOC Toan – Director of Center for Analysis and Strategic Forecasting, ILSSA, MOLISA, Viet Nam
    • Question and answer
    15:00 – 16:30 Roundtable discussion on Trade and Decent Work (Moderator: ILO)
    • Matthias THORNS, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Organization of Employers (OIE)
    • Lara MERLING, Policy Advisor, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
    • EC, Lluís PRATS, Head of Unit, International Issues DG EMPL
    • Philipp DUPUIS, Deputy Head of Unit, DG TRADE, Multilateral Trade and Sustainable Development Policy, Green Deal, Conflict Minerals Unit, European Commission
    • Roberto Francisco Gerhard TUMA Director General, STPS, Mexico
    • Mr LUU QUANG Tuan, Deputy Director General, ILSSA, MOLISA, Viet Nam
    • Question and answer