International Labour Organization

Care work, both paid and unpaid, is vital for societal well-being yet often under-valued in official statistics. Driven by demographic shifts and persistent gender inequalities in labour market participation, the demand for international statistical standards for measuring care work is growing. Current efforts are fragmented, highlighting the need for harmonized definitions and frameworks to enhance data comparability and usability. The International Labour Organization is spearheading this initiative to develop new standards, reflecting global interest and policy priorities in the care economy. This effort will support better data collection and inform policy development. 🗒️Read more in our new blog: https://ow.ly/t4ex50SBmR5

📅 On World Youth Skills Day, let's emphasize that quality education for all is essential for social and economic progress and equality. The path to equal opportunities is through school for all children, inclusive lifelong learning, and skills training, along with stronger links between education and employment. Yet, worldwide, 160 million children are currently in child labour, with 79 million facing hazardous working conditions. In 2022, 289 million, or one in five 15 to 24 year-olds, were not in education, employment, or training, depriving them of opportunities to obtain skills for their future. 📢Equality begins with education and lifelong learning for all.

World Youth Skills Day 2024 highlights the importance of equipping young individuals with essential skills for a dynamic and sustainable future. This event features expert speakers and key discussions focused on innovative skill development and global youth empowerment initiatives. Do you agree that empowering young people is crucial? Then, you should join! 👇 📅 Date: July 15 📍 Watch live here: https://ow.ly/lMVa50SBaeR UNESCO United Nations Youth Office Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth

🌟 Join Us for World Youth Skills Day 2024! 🌟   Are you ready to empower young minds for a better tomorrow? 🌍   Mark your calendars for a milestone panel discussion on "Youth Skills for Peace and Sustainable Development"! 🌍 📅 Monday, 15 July 2024 ⏰ 10 AM - 11:30 AM EST 🖥️ Virtual event on UN Web TV: https://lnkd.in/eBhxu_82   RSVP now ➡️ https://lnkd.in/esfbBCEC   On World Youth Skills Day, let’s unite to: - Recognize the potential of young people as agents of peace - Commit to providing youth with skills and opportunities for a sustainable future   Learn more about the Day ➡️ https://lnkd.in/d26MXaS

Climate change is not just an environmental issue; it's a workplace crisis. More than 2.4 billion workers are at risk from excessive heat alone, with millions more affected by UV radiation, air pollution, and pesticides. It's a call for immediate action to protect our workforce. Read more here: https://ow.ly/xKhP50RmYwN

Are you aware of how population trends are influencing our global workforce? Demographic shifts such as declining fertility, aging populations, and migration are reshaping our labor markets. These trends are affecting the size of the workforce, the types of jobs available, and the skills required, leading to significant changes in how we work and how we plan for the future. Migration, for example, can help fill labor shortages in host countries, but it also poses challenges in terms of integration and employment rights. These insights highlight the need for adjustments in workplace practices and policies to accommodate a changing workforce. On World Population Day, learn how population trends shape our workforce in our new blog: https://ow.ly/yzh450SxPlm

Forced labour is usually spoken of as a brutal abuse of fundamental human rights. It is less often understood as an economic problem that feeds crime, helps to perpetuate poverty, and damages legitimate businesses. We've explored this critical issue with a series of insightful podcasts. Each episode explores different facets of forced labour. 🔊Listen to the many reasons for the continued existence of forced labour and the role we can all play in finally putting an end to it. 🔹Who’s making money from forced labour?: https://ow.ly/Anp350SsGSk 🔹Fighting human trafficking in an era of crisis – how can we do better?: https://ow.ly/QvXy50SsGSm 🔹Modern slavery is unseen because it's convenient: https://ow.ly/6Ews50SsGSl

📣 From safety to equality, every worker's right is non-negotiable.

Besides unpaid work, what does vulnerable employment look like?⬇️ ⏰Shorter hours – While part-time work represents a family-friendly working arrangement, for many workers, it is involuntary. Women, especially mothers, in paid jobs are more likely to work fewer hours than men, but usually not by choice and due to care responsibilities. Across the globe, women constitute 45% of underutilized labour, which takes into consideration time-related underemployment and the potential labour force. 👨🌾👩🌾Contributing family workers – Women are more than twice as likely to be contributing family workers (i.e. self-employed in a business owned or operated by a relative) than men. Such workers are likely to be poorly paid (if at all) and living in poverty, with no employment contract and little access to social protection. This gap is even more pronounced in low-income countries. 🤰Maternity coverage - While over two-thirds of potential mothers live in countries where maternity leave cash benefits are funded through social protection, effective coverage remains low. In 2020, only 44.9 per cent of women giving birth worldwide received maternity leave cash benefits. This lack of coverage has a major impact on women’s and children’s health outcomes and can push them into poverty. 👨👧👦Paternity leave – When fathers take paternity leave, they increase their long-term involvement in unpaid care work, in turn promoting greater participation of mothers in employment. There are also indications that children have better development outcomes, as they benefit from interaction and stimulation from both parents rather than just one. Despite this, the average duration of paternity leave is 9 days, compared to 18 weeks for maternity leave. This surmounts to a global “gender leave gap” of 16.7 weeks, stunting the more equal sharing of family responsibilities between mothers and fathers. 🛡️Social protection access - Women often do not have access to social protection. When they do, their entitlements are lower, due to low pay, shorter contribution periods and higher incidences of informal work. This problem is particularly acute when it comes to pensions: on average, the proportion of women above retirement age receiving a pension is 12.4 percentage points lower than that of men. Let’s work together to close the gender gaps in the labour force.

Labour isn't just a commodity to trade for profit. It's about dignity, well-being, and growth. International labour standards guide us towards #decentwork, ensuring jobs promote freedom, fairness, safety, and respect. This approach keeps the focus on #SocialJustice for all. Have a look⬇