Highlights

• International Migrants’ Day
  17 December 2009 - The ILO Office in Rome, in collaboration with the IOM, organizes a conference on “Protecting migrants’ rights: measures adopted by Governments and international institutions”. This initiative should offer an opportunity for better understanding UN international instruments for the protection of migrants’ rights, and the way single States can enforce these instruments, taking into account migration developments during the last years. The Minister of Labour, Health and Social Policies, Maurizio Sacconi, will take the floor during the conference, together with representatives of social partners and international institutions.

• ILO says economic crisis eroding real wages for second year running
  3 November 2009 - Global growth in real wages slowed dramatically in 2008 as a result of the economic crisis and is expected to drop even further this year despite signs of a possible economic recovery, the ILO said. “The continued deterioration of real wages worldwide raises serious questions about the true extent of an economic recovery, especially if government rescue packages are phased out too early. Wage deflation deprives national economies of much needed demand and seriously affects confidence”, said Manuela Tomei, Director, ILO Conditions of Work and Employment Programme and lead author of the study.

• ILO report says temporary workers among the worst hit by the economic crisis, urges balance between flexible labour markets and workers’ protection
  19 October 2009 - A new report issued by the International Labour Office says that workers employed by temporary employment agencies have been among the first to lose their jobs as a result of the financial and economic crisis. At the same time, the report also observes that ratification of ILO Convention No. 181 on private employment agencies can help to promote Decent Work and ensure better functioning labour markets.

• Last issue of ILO Roma Newsletter, the Italian news bulletin of the ILO Office in Rome
  16 October 2009

• ILO adopts “Global Jobs Pact” aimed at creating jobs, protecting workers and stimulating economic recovery
  19 June 2009 - Faced with the prospect of a prolonged global increase in unemployment, poverty and inequality and continued duress for enterprises, in June 2009 the International Labour Conference, with the participation of Government, Employers’ and Workers’ delegates from the ILO’s member States, unanimously adopted a "Global Jobs Pact". This global policy instrument addresses the social and employment impact of the international financial and economic crisis. It promotes a productive recovery centred on investments, employment and social protection.

• Informal employment curbs trade benefits for developing countries
  12 October 2009 - A joint study from the International Labour Organization and the WTO has found that high incidence of informal employment in the developing world suppresses countries’ ability to benefit from trade opening by creating poverty traps for workers in job transition.

• G20 commit to Putting Quality Jobs at the Heart of the Recovery
  25 September 2009 - Leaders of the G20 have welcomed the ILO Global Jobs Pact and the building of “an employment-oriented framework for future economic growth”. ILO Director-General Juan Somavia, who was invited to present a report on policies and prospects for jobs and social protection to the Pittsburgh Summit said, “I welcome the significant commitment of the Leaders to “implementing recovery plans that support decent work, help preserve employment and prioritize job growth.”

• Despite continued rise in unemployment, measures taken by G20 governments will save up to 11 million jobs in 2009, ILO says
  18 September 2009 - Employment and social protection measures taken by G20 governments since the economic crisis began will have created or saved an estimated 7 to 11 million jobs in the G20 countries this year, the Director-General of the ILO said in a communication, entitled "Protecting People, Promoting Jobs: From crisis response to recovery and sustainable growth", to be presented to the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh on 24-25 September.

• Key Indicators of the Labour Market - KILM, new edition
  9 September 2009 - Published every two years since 1999, the KILM is a collection of 20 key indicators of the labour market, ranging from employment and variables relating to employment (status, sector, hours, etc.) to the lack of work and the characteristics of jobseekers, education, wages and compensation costs, labour productivity and working poverty. Taken together, the indicators give a strong foundation from which to begin addressing key questions related to productive employment and decent work.

• ILO Director-General welcomes G8 support for “global jobs pact”
  9 July 2009 - The Director-General of the ILO Juan Somavia today welcomed the strong support of the G8 summit meeting in L’Aquila, Italy, for the Global Jobs Pact agreed by governments, employers and workers, at the International Labour Conference three weeks ago, to tackle the global jobs crisis.

• ILO 90th anniversary: 90 years working for social justice
  21 April 2009
  • See also: Conference in occasion of the 90th anniversary of the ILO - CNEL, Viale David Lubin 2, Rome - 10:00 a.m.

• 4th Seminar on child labour, education and youth employment
  Istanbul (Turkey), 15-16 Octobre 2009 - UCW Program and University of Galatasaray are calling for papers relevant to the following themes for presentation at the seminar: determinants of child labour and education; link between child labour and education; impact of child labour involvement on youth employment outcomes; labour market entry processes and school-to-work transitions (deadline for submission: 1 June 2009).