Comment and analysis

2012

1. 

   Measuring unemployment

   Youth jobs count – but how?

   02 November 2012

   The latest EU figures show a further increase in youth unemployment, but there has been some debate in the past over whether to express those levels in rates rather than ratios. What is the difference between the two, and which, if any, is a more precise measurement?

2. 

   Microinsurance

   The win-win potential of microinsurance for migrants

   29 October 2012

   International migrants send home over US$ 400 billion a year, yet they and their families often lack basic social protection. That is where microinsurance can step in.

3. Labour rights

   Domestic workers in Europe falling through the loopholes

   24 October 2012

   Many domestic workers in Europe do not enjoy as much legal protection as other workers. ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers – which will come into force in a year’s time – offers a chance to improve the lives of the millions of people who work in this profession.

4. 

   Labour demographics

   Young and older workers, two sides of the same coin

   08 October 2012

   Many of the countries that are suffering from huge youth unemployment levels are also experiencing population ageing. Isn’t it time to start thinking of older workers as a category that deserves specific attention?

5. 

   Social finance

   Giving banks a good name

   19 September 2012

   Is it possible for banks to devote themselves to the financial welfare of workers and still survive financial crises? The ILO looks at the Rokin Bank, a union-led cooperative in Japan.

6. 

   Analysis

   Crisis in Spain highlights an increasing ‘employment divide’

   17 September 2012

   The wave of social unrest that has recently hit Spain is a reflection of the growing rural/urban and north/south divide in the country.

7. 

   Social dialogue

   Weakening collective bargaining hurts recovery

   12 September 2012

   Some governments unilaterally reformed collective bargaining arrangements at the height of the economic crisis. Reversing those decisions and providing policy support for collective bargaining would be key to recovery, according to the ILO.

8. 

   Analysis

   Are we getting too old to afford social security?

   10 September 2012

   With people living longer, more and more questions are being raised on the possible effects of the ageing of the population on labour markets and social security systems.

9. 

   Article

   Time for Arabs to live up to their call for social justice by protecting vulnerable workers

   15 August 2012

   Which Arab country will be the first to ratify the Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers?

10. 

    Article

    Is temp a trap?

    14 August 2012

    ILO News looks at young people trapped in temporary jobs with few prospects of moving to full-time employment. Ekkehard Ernst, Chief of the ILO’s Employment Trends Unit, says governments can help improve the situation.