Assessing and Addressing the Effects of Trade on Employment

The project aims to support the analysis and formulation of effective and coherent trade and labour market policies that address the adjustment challenges that workers and employers face and expand opportunities for the creation of decent employment in developing countries. Actions are taken at the global level and in four pilot countries, to strengthen the capacity of policy makers, researchers and the social partners to assess, address and monitor the effects of trade on employment. The project is implemented by the International Labour Organization and funded by the European Union.

Main objectives of the project

• Develop global knowledge tools that can support the formulation of coherent trade and labour market policies at the national level, based on sound data and diagnosis, with the involvement of the social partners.
• Enable the design of effective and coherent trade and labour market policies that maximize employment-related opportunities created by trade and minimize the adjustment costs of trade-induced economic restructuring.

Actions are taken at the global level and in four pilot countries, to strengthen the capacity of policy makers, researchers and the social partners to assess, address and monitor the effects of trade on employment. The project is implemented by the International Labour Organization and benefits from financial support from the European Union, EuropeAid. The project started in 2009 and runs until 2013. It is implemented by ILO’s Employment Sector in close collaboration with the ILO-ITC that develops and conducts training courses and the ILO country offices in the four pilot countries: Bangladesh, Benin (en français), Guatemala (en español), Indonesia.

Project Research

Trade and Employment: From Myths to Facts

• Chapter 1 - M. Jansen, R. Peters and J.M. Salazar-Xirinachs. Introduction: Towards a Coherent Trade and Employment Policy
• Chapter 2 - M. McMillan and I. Verduzco. New Evidence on Trade and Employment: An Overview
• Chapter 3 - B. Gibson. Assessing the Impact of Trade on Employment
• Chapter 4 - A. Sinha. Trade and the Informal Economy
• Chapter 5 - G. Berik. Gender Aspects of Trade
• Chapter 6 - J. Francois, M. Jansen and R. Peters. Trade Adjustment Cost and Assistance: The Labour Market Dynamics
• Chapter 7 - O. Cadot, C. Carrère and V. Strauss-Kahn. Trade Diversification: Drivers and Impacts

Trade and Employment in Agriculture

• D. Cheong, M. Jansen and R. Peters. Shared Harvests: Agriculture, Trade and Employment An Overview (Study)
• Chapter 1 - D. Cheong and M. Jansen. Aspects of Employment and Trade in Developing-Country Agriculture: A Survey (Study) (Policy brief)
• Chapter 2 - R. Peters. Legal Aspects of Trade in Agriculture: WTO Agreement on Agriculture and Preferential Trade Agreements (Study) (Policy brief)
• Chapter 3 - R. Peters and D. Vanzetti. Trade and agricultural employment linkages in general equilibrium modeling (Study) (Policy brief)
• Chapter 4 - S. Raihan. Economic Reforms and Agriculture in Bangladesh: Assessment of Impact Using Economy-Wide Simulation Models (Study) (Policy brief)
• Chapter 5 - S. Bio Goura, E. Adjovi and I.F. Aboudou. The Impact of Agricultural Trade on Employment in Benin (Study) (Policy brief)
• Chapter 6 - L. Linares and R. Zelaya. Foreign Trade and Agricultural Employment in Guatemala (Study) (Policy brief)
• Chapter 7 - R. Oktaviani and D. Vanzetti. Trade, Productivity, and Employment Linkages in Indonesian Agriculture (Study) (Policy brief)
• Chapter 8 - S. Karingi and S. Mevel. Towards a Continental Free Trade Area in Africa: A CGE Modeling Assessment with a Focus on Agriculture (Study) (Policy brief)
• Chapter 9 D. Vanzetti and A. Niković. Potential Impacts of WTO Accession on the Agricultural Sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Study) (Policy brief)
• Chapter 10 R. Peters and D. Vanzetti. A Coherent Agriculture Trade Policy for Mexico (Study) (Policy brief)

Trade and Employment in Regional Trade Agreements

• B. Boie. Labour related Provisions in International Investment Agreements (Study) (Policy brief)
• C. Häberli, M. Jansen and J.A. Monteiro. Regional Trade Agreements and Domestic Labour Market Regulations (Study) (Policy brief)
• E. Ornelas. Preferential Trade Agreements and the Labor Market (Study) (Policy brief)
• E. Von Uexkull. Regional Trade and Employment in ECOWAS (Study) (Policy brief)

Trade and Employment in Services

• S. Raihan. Impact of Trade in Services on Employment in Bangladesh: Special Reference to the IT Sector (Study) (Policy brief)
• N. Gnichi. L’impact du commerce des services sur l’emploi : La Logistique Maritime et le secteur des Services Portuaires au Bénin (Study) (Policy brief)
• J. Whalley Developing Countries and The Services, Trade, Employment Nexus (Study) (Policy brief)
• H. Maul Rivas and L. Bolaños Fletes. El Impacto del Comercio de Servicios en el Empleo: El Sector Call Centre y Servicio al Cliente en Guatemala (Study) (Policy brief)
• C. Manning and H. Aswicahyono. Trade and Employment in Services: The Case of Indonesia (Study) (Policy brief)

Trade and Informal Employment

• A.G. Ale. Facteurs d’informalisation et politiques/pratiques facilitant la transition vers le travail décent en Afrique subsaharienne (Study) (Policy brief)

Project Events

Global

• October 2012 - Circulation of Overview of upcoming book on “Shared Harvests: Agriculture, Trade and Employment” at WTO Public Forum, Geneva, Switzerland
• August/September 2012 - Presentation of ETE Research “Trade and Employment in Indonesia: CGE Analysis” at the GTAP and ETSG annual conferences
• May 2012 - ETE project team participates and contributes to ITC technical training course on “Assessing the Effects of Trade on Employment: SAM-based Multiplier Analysis” in Turin, Italy
• January 2012 - ILO-UNCTAD Policy Debate on “Trade and Employment: From Myths to Facts” in Geneva, Switzerland
• October 2011 - Book Launch “Trade and Employment: From Myths to Facts - ILO-EC publication” in Brussels, Belgium
• September 2011 - ETE-sponsored research is presented at the ICITE African Regional Conference in Tunis, Tunisia
• July 2011 - ETE project team participates and contributes to 2nd. Edition of ITC training course on “International Trade and Labour Markets” in Turin, Italy
• June 2011 - ETE-sponsored research is presented at the ICITE Latin American Regional Conference in Santiago, Chile
• April 2011 - ETE-sponsored research is presented at the ICITE Asian Regional Conference in Manila, Phillippines
• May 2010 - ETE project team participates and contributes to 1st. Edition of ITC training course on “International Trade and Labour Markets” in Turin, Italy
• December 2009 - Expert meeting on Assessing and Addressing the Effects of Trade on Employment

Indonesia

• December 2012 - Joint ILO-IADB-OECD policy event on “Trade and Employment in a Globalized World”
• July 2012 - 5th. Policy Working Group Meeting
• February 2012 - 4th. Policy Working Group Meeting
• June 2011 - 3rd. Policy Working Group Meeting
• February 2011 - 2nd. Policy Working Group Meeting
• February 2011 - Training for Specialists in Indonesia: Assessing the Effects of Trade on Employment
• January 2011 - 1st. Policy Working Group Meeting
• November 2010 - World Integrated Trade Solution Training
• July 2010 - Knowledge Sharing Workshop on “Assessing and Addressing the Effects of Trade on Employment (ETE)”
• May 2010 - Training for Trade Unions
• February 2010 - Assessing and Addressing the Effects of Trade on Employment (ETE) in Indonesia
• November 2009 - Presentation of project at UNCTAD course
• November 2009 - Project Start in Indonesia

Bangladesh

• October 2012 - 3rd. Policy Working Group Meeting
• June 2012 - 2nd. Policy Working Group Meeting
• October 2011 - 1st. Policy Working Group Meeting
• February 2011 - Training for Specialists in Bangladesh: Assessing the Effects of Trade on Employment
• August 2010 - Tripartite Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Assessing and Addressing the Effects of Trade on Employment
• May 2010 - Training on "Basic Concepts in International Trade and Employment"
• January 2010 - Project Start in Bangladesh

Benin

• November 2012 - 3rd. Policy Working Group Meeting
• May 2012 - 2nd. Policy Working Group Meeting
• March 2012 - 1st. Policy Working Group Meeting
• June 2011 - Training for Specialists in Benin: Assessing the Effects of Trade on Employment
• January 2011 - Official Project Launch and Tripartite Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Assessing and Addressing the Effects of Trade on Employment
• April 2010 - Project Start in Benin

Guatemala

• September 2012 - 2nd. Policy Working Group Meeting
• July 2012 - UNESCO-EU-ILO Meeting on Skills, Training and Youth Employment (Extraordinary Policy Working group Meeting)
• May 2012 - 1st. Policy Working Group Meeting
• November 2011 - Training for Trade Unions
• August 2011 - Training for Specialists in Guatemala: Assessing the Effects of Trade on Employment
• April 2011 - Official Project Launch and Tripartite Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Assessing and Addressing the Effects of Trade on Employment
• November 2010 - Project Start in Guatemala