Features

2012

Article

The challenge of getting a job in Cambodia

19 July 2012

Unemployment in Cambodia is very low, but that’s because the vast majority of the population works in the informal sector. The government hopes ILO-backed job centres will help increase access to decent work.
Article

Philippines: Boosting entrepreneurship to ease jobs crisis

16 July 2012

One third of the Philippines population live in poverty, and thousands head out every day to work abroad. The ILO is promoting entrepreneurship as an alternative to hard-to-get wage jobs and migration.
Article

Employers make the case for hiring people with disabilities

19 June 2012

101st session of the ILC held event on ILO Business and Disability Network to highlight the business case for hiring people with disabilities
Feature

Decent work and education: A win-win combination

01 March 2012

In 2003, Argentina became one the first countries to incorporate the concept of Decent Work to its national development agenda. Since then, a number of government programmes have put into practice different aspects of the Decent Work Agenda. In 2004, Argentina and the ILO teamed up to launch the Building a Future with Decent Work project, which aims to promote and develop the dignity of work in each person. As ILO News explains, this a road that begins in the primary years at school.

2011

Article

Questions and answers: ILO disability inclusion resource manual

01 December 2011

December 3rd is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. To mark the date, the ILO has developed an online version of the ILO Disability Inclusion Toolkit and Manual – a collection of tools and information resources – to assist ILO staff in including disabled people in their areas of work. “Disability inclusion is everybody’s work!” ILO interviews Debra Perry, Senior Disability Technical Specialist and editor of the resource manual.
Questions and answers

An interview with Jayati Ghosh, winner of the ILO Decent Work Research Prize

11 November 2011

Decent Work Research Prize laureates Professor Jayati Ghosh and Professor Eve C. Landau addressed the ILO Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) on 11 November, calling for economic policy reforms based on decent work to meet current challenges in global labour markets. The Indian economist Jayati Ghosh was also among the thousands of people at the annual International Labour Conference in Geneva. World of Work spoke to Ms. Ghosh, who is a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in India and the Executive Secretary of the International Development Economics Associates (IDEAs.).
Feature story

Empowering South Africans with decent work

07 October 2011

While African economies have bounced back from the economic crisis, daunting challenges for the continent remain, including poverty, unemployment and underemployment. Faced with these and other major challenges, the Republic of South Africa is one of the 27 African ILO Member States that are implementing Decent Work Country Programmes (DWCPs) aimed at promoting decent work as a key component of their national development. ILO Online reports from Johannesburg, South Africa.
Feature story

Greying of the workforce in retail commerce: Questions and answers

20 September 2011

According to a recent ILO study, 2 billion people will be aged 60 or over by 2050. While most discussions about population ageing turn around the sustainability of pension systems, a forthcoming ILO meeting to be held in Geneva on 21-22 September, will focus on the impact of the greying of societies on labour supply in the retail commerce sector, an industry that has traditionally drawn a large proportion of its workers from people aged 30 and under. ILO Online spoke with John Sendanyoye, the ILO’s Commerce Sector Specialist.
Article

South Africa and the ILO team up to promote public employment and community work programmes

27 July 2011

With an official unemployment rate of 25 per cent, the South African government knows that employment creation cannot be left to the private sector alone. There is a huge gap between the jobs that are needed and the jobs that the market can generate. The State has the responsibility to fill that gap. Today South Africa has become a prime example of a country where public employment programmes (PEPs) and its Community Work Programme (CWP) are playing a key role in providing a minimum level of employment where markets are failing to do so. The CWP, although not universal in coverage, is being designed to test an employment guarantee.
Article

Questions and answers on the ILO response to challenges in the Arab World

08 July 2011

On 8 July 2011, the International Labour Organization (ILO) hosted a meeting on “The Arab World, Towards a New Era of Social Justice”, which brought together representatives of countries from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the international community, donors and ILO constituents. A background paper entitled “Challenges in the Arab world: an ILO response” on the ILO’s strategy and response was the basis for the discussions. It provides figures and trends on the employment situation and answers a series of questions around creating decent work opportunities in the region. A series of concept notes was also presented, covering areas where the MENA countries have requested ILO assistance. ILO is developing work in the MENA countries and seeks additional funding for some of these programmes.