COVID-19 and social dialogue

Social dialogue, based on respect for freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining, has a crucial role to play in designing policies to promote social justice and buttress other measures by governments to protect jobs, incomes and companies. As in times of prosperity, tripartite and bipartite social dialogue in a context of crisis can contribute to effectively reconciling competing interests and building trust in, commitment to, and ownership of policies.

Since the initial phase of the COVID-19 outbreak, social dialogue have played an important role in shaping national policy responses during the pandemic, in a majority of ILO member states. The ILO has intensified its support to the tripartite constituents, with a view to placing social dialogue at the heart of policy-making in crisis-responses, in line with international labour standards and drawing on best international practice. Numerous Briefs and other material on the role of social dialogue during the pandemic, covering a wide range of areas (Occupational safety and health at work, social protection, etc.) and regions have been released or are under preparation.
  1. ILO Working paper 99

    Digital labour platforms and national employment policies in China: Studying the case of food delivery platforms

    04 December 2023

    This paper takes the food-delivery platforms as a case study to examine the impact of digital labour platforms on employment and labour market in China. It reviews the recent employment policies in the digital economy including policies of labour relations, social security, wages, etc., and suggests the new approaches and elements for the comprehensive national employment policies framework in the era of digitalization in China.

  2. Publication

    Digital Employment Diagnostic Guidelines

    07 November 2023

    These guidelines serve as a comprehensive framework to assess, analyze, and understand the multifaceted dimensions of digital employment.

  3. Publication

    Guidelines for employment diagnostics in times of continuous change

    08 March 2023

    This guidance note outlines ILO’s approach to employment diagnostics in order to analyse labour market dynamics in continuous change.

  4. ILO brief

    Creating jobs in low- and middle-income countries through demand-side policies

    06 February 2023

    This brief focuses on demand-side policies for promoting employment in LMCs. The aim is to lay the conceptual foundations for a policy debate on employment promotion in LMCs.

  5. Green recovery with jobs through employment policies

    Guidelines for shaping employment policies that support a green recovery and a just transition

    30 August 2022

    These Guidelines assist ILO constituents and technical specialists to design and implement employment policies that enhance a green recovery from the Covid-19 crisis and also contribute to a just transition over the longer term

  6. Report

    Income support for non-covered workers during COVID-19: a review of policy responses

    26 August 2022

    This paper provides an overview of the income support measures for non-covered workers implemented in response to the COVID-19 crisis, describing the collection of measures and policies in place in each selected country.

  7. Policy brief

    Policy sequences during and after COVID-19: A review of labour market policy patterns

    24 June 2022

    This policy brief tracks the sequential logic of labour market policies across a sample of countries from all world regions.

  8. Report

    Promoting youth employment during COVID-19: A review of policy responses

    24 June 2022

    This report gives an overview on actual policy responses in the area of youth employment during the COVID-19 crisis in 20 selected countries.

  9. Report

    Job retention schemes during COVID-19: A review of policy responses

    24 June 2022

    This report provides an update on job retention policies in a sample of 20 countries representing the main world regions as well as the diverse types of job retention schemes, in particular short-time work, furlough and wage subsidy schemes as they have been implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  10. Technical brief

    Alternative Data Sources for Labour Market Diagnostics and Policy Response: Applications in the COVID-19 era and beyond

    21 June 2022

    This brief explores the opportunities and challenges posed by non-conventional data sources, offering policy makers a resource in how to improve employment diagnostics and resultant policy response.