Books and reports

February 2021

  1. Publication

    Decent work in a globalized economy: Lessons from public and private initiatives

    17 February 2021

    The hybridization and proliferation of forms and mechanisms of governance is a consequence of the fragmentation of production across national boundaries. The emergence of global supply chains has provided new opportunities for many developing countries to participate in global trade, diversify their economies and generate employment. At the same time, production for global supply chains has raised new concerns about working conditions and the protection of workers’ rights.

September 2019

  1. Report

    Labour Provisions in G7 trade agreements: A comparative perspective

    17 September 2019

    This report provides an analysis of labour provisions in G7 trade arrangements, focusing on current trends and developments. It was prepared as a contribution to the G7 Social Employment Task Force on “Reshaping multilateral action to strengthen social justice.

July 2017

  1. ILO/WTO joint publication

    Investing in skills for inclusive trade

    04 July 2017

    Featuring results from the ILO's Skills for Trade and Economic Diversification (STED) programme, this report shows that appropriate skills development policies are key to helping firms participate in trade, and also to helping workers find good jobs.

June 2012

  1. Publication

    Confronting Finance: Mobilizing the 99% for economic and social progress

    15 June 2012

    "The Global Labour Column has become a valuable source of analysis of current economic trends that affect working people all over the world. This anthology brings together critical pieces on many issues (fiscal strategies, finance policies, social protection, strategies for job creation and much more), encompassing different regions and various perspectives." -Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

September 2011

  1. Publication

    Trade Unions and the Global Crisis: Labour’s Visions, Strategies and Responses

    30 September 2011

    If the recent global economic crisis has debilitated labour in many parts of the world, many segments of the trade union movement have been fighting back, combining traditional and innovative strategies and articulating alternatives to the dominant political and economic models. This book offers a composite overview of the responses of trade unions and other workers’ organizations to neoliberal globalization in general and to the recent financial crisis in particular.

June 2011

  1. Publication

    There is an alternative: Economic policies and labour strategies beyond the mainstream

    09 June 2011

    A key message of the 2011 Global Labour Column anthology is that we need a plurality of ideas in order to develop and ultimately choose between different policy options. This volume will be of great interest to academic scholars as well as trade union activists and policy-makers.

January 2010

  1. Publication

    World of work report 2009. The global jobs crisis

    11 January 2010

    This World of Work Report from the International Institute for Labour Studies presents a highly relevant discussion of the jobs crisis resulting from the financial and economic crisis, in a non-technical manner, based on the latest data and economic analysis, with full technical annexes. The authors assess the crisis and provide a broad overview of its social effects, with particular emphasis on the structural imbalances in the globalization process that paved the way for the crisis. In addition, the report analyses conditions for a new growth and globalization model - one that would be more socially and environmentally sustainable. This timely report is an important addition to the discussions of socially sustainable growth, establishing the World of Work Report as a new authoritative source on labour issues.

December 2009

  1. Publication

    ILO Summit on the global jobs crisis. June 2009

    21 December 2009

    The ILO Summit on the Global Jobs Crisis was held on 15-17 June 2009 in Geneva, in response to the financial crisis and its grave impact on global unemployment, poverty and inequality. Addressed by Heads of State and Government, Vice-Presidents, Ministers and leaders of workers' and employers' organizations from around the world, the Summit featured three days of intense debate on different aspects of the crisis.

November 2008

  1. Publication

    World of Work Report 2008 - Income inequalities in the age of financial globalization

    17 November 2008

    Income inequalities have been growing significantly within countries over the past two decades or so. This new report from the International Institute for Labour Studies presents a timely assessment of this issue, based on new data and economic analysis and with full technical annexes. It looks at the extent of this phenomenon and ...

October 2008

  1. Publication

    Globalization, Flexibilization and Working Conditions in Asia and the Pacific

    08 October 2008

    This unique study reviews employment conditions in Asia and the Pacific in the context of globalization and the increasing pressures towards flexibilization. It places a strong focus on the divergent experiences of individual workers regarding their employment conditions...