03 August 2012
“Green jobs” can be created in the most fundamental of workplaces, and the result can benefit traditional industries. That’s what is happening in Sri Lanka, where former “waste pickers” at Sri Lanka’s garbage dumps were given new skills to work more efficiently and protect their health, and that is benefitting one of the island’s iconic industries.
01 August 2012
Many people dream of a better life in a foreign country, but without job skills and good connections the risk of exploitation is high. There’s a new initiative by the Laotian government to give people who want to try for a better life abroad the chance to make it work safely and legally.
25 July 2012
Cambodian workers who are injured at work or in transit to their workplace now benefit from a government-run system of insurance thanks to an ILO/Korea Partnership project. The National Social Security Fund is a worker compensation scheme that is self-sufficient and overseen by the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training. When a claim is approved, the fund provides in-kind and cash benefits regardless of whether the individual is able to return to full-time employment.
24 July 2012
Providing protection for the world's millions of domestic workers has taken a major step forward. In April 2012, Uruguay became the first country to ratify ILO Convention 189, the landmark treaty guaranteeing domestic workers get the same core labour protections as other workers. Uruguay has long been a leader in protecting the rights of domestic workers, but ratifying the convention demanded a unique approach; a group of Uruguayan housewives were called on to represent the employers of domestic workers at the bargaining table.
11 July 2012
Austerity policies designed to cut debt in the Eurozone are resulting in a steady rise in unemployment, prolonging and deepening the crisis in the single currency area, according to a report from the ILO, "Eurozone job crisis: trends and policies responses". Unemployment in the Eurozone could reach almost 22 million over the next four years, unless appropriate measures are taken to boost growth and promote job creation.
02 July 2012
70% of all families living in Bangladesh’s countryside are not connected to the national electricity grid; the power lines either haven’t reached their villages or the cost of connection is too high for them. But now, with help from the ILO and Australia, and encouraged by the central government some villagers can get low cost solar power as an alternative energy source. And new skills are required to bring solar power to Bangladesh’s villages, which is creating the demand for “green jobs” to get the job done.
31 May 2012
The German city of Freiburg is leading the way to more jobs and a greener economy through sustainable initiatives to its construction industry. A recent report jointly issued by the ILO and UNEP, says similar practices adopted worldwide could generate millions of jobs , lift tens of millions of workers out of poverty and reduce greenhouse emissions.
21 May 2012
Gains in employment rates for young people have been wiped out by the economic crisis. According to the ILO's Global Employment Trends for Youth 2012, it may take 4-5 years before jobs rebound. In the meantime, many of the 75 million unemployed young people will completely give up looking for work. ILO TV reports from Athens, Greece
01 May 2012
The world needs to create 50 million jobs to return to pre-crisis employment levels, according to the ILO's World of Work 2012 report, but fiscal austerity and tough labour market reforms threaten the scenario for a true jobs recovery.