Publications

The ILO Country Office for Pakistan publishes a wide range of books, reports and working papers relevant to Pakistan. Some of these can be downloaded directly. Others can be requested in hard copy from the ILO Library in Islamabad.

2024

  1. © ILO 2024

    Pakistan’s tanning and leather industries : An overview of trends and labour and environmental conditions

    11 March 2024

    The report identifies opportunities for macro level areas of leverage to drive improved compliance with national and international labour standards (including market access and preferential tariff treatment) as well as micro-level interventions to strengthen the capacities of enterprises to comply with national and international labour and environmental standards.

  2. Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work in the Cotton Supply Chain: RISE for Impact – A New Phase, A New Vision

    07 March 2024

    Funded by INDITEX, the project aims to scale up the community model developed under the first phase of the project, in order to foster a partnership approach among the actors for enhanced respect for FPRW in cotton growing communities and a sustainable cotton supply chain in Pakistan.

2023

  1. From Protocol to Practice: A Bridge to Global Action on Forced Labour (The Bridge Project II)

    09 October 2023

    The Bridge Project funded by United States Department of Labour (USDOL) aims to increase knowledge and awareness on forced labour and support ratification and implementation of the ILO, Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930.

  2. © ILO 2024

    GSP+ and compliance with fundamental labour standards

    29 September 2023

    This publication has been produced by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistani and Human Resource Development with the technical support of the ILO, through the International Labour and Environmental Standards Application in Pakistan’s SMEs (ILES) project.

  3. Pakistan: Employment outlook in a setting of austerity

    12 September 2023

    Labour market metrics including rising unemployment and increasing prices continue to hit enterprises, workers and households hard in Pakistan.

  4. Assessing the capacity of law enforcement agencies to address child labour in Pakistan

    12 July 2023

    This study assesses the capacities of national and provincial law enforcement agencies responsible for addressing child labour in Pakistan. With a view to ensure the relevance and responsiveness of a planned capacity building initiative, findings of this assessment inform the design of evidence-based training programme, which aims to enhance the capacities and intern-agency coordination of law enforcement agencies to prevent and eliminate child labour nationwide.

  5. Rapid assessment of child labour in waste-picking in Pakistan

    12 July 2023

    Substantial number of children and adolescents are involved in work, including hazardous work like waste-picking in Pakistan. As Pakistani cities generate increasing quantities of solid waste – due to high levels of population growth and rapid urbanization – municipal waste management systems struggle to keep pace. Improper waste disposal practices abound, opening up space for private stakeholders to dominate scavenging and recycling activities with little or no government overs.

  6. Rapid assessment of child labour in automobile repair workshops in Pakistan

    12 July 2023

    Child labour in automobile repair workshops is widespread across Pakistan. The study explored the current situation of child labour in automobile repair workshops, elaborated the major push and pull factors, working conditions, effects on children's health, safety, education, and recommended the priority areas for combatting child labour in automobile repair workshops in Pakistan.

  7. Comprehensive mapping and assessment of reintegration measures in South Asian Colombo process Member States

    03 July 2023

    This report has been jointly commissioned by ILO and IOM under the Governance of Labour Migration in South and Southeast Asia (GOALS) programme in collaboration with UN-Women and seeks to map out and assess the nature and gaps in the reintegration support provided to returnee migrant workers from five South Asian Colombo Process member States: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

  8. Decent Work Country Programme for Pakistan (2023–27)

    16 May 2023

    The Government of Pakistan, employers’ and workers’ organizations, along with the ILO, signed the Fourth Decent Work Country Programme for Pakistan on 4 May 2023. The Programme, covering the period 2023-27, reflects the shared priorities of the ILO's tripartite constituents in Pakistan.

  9. World Employment and Social Outlook 2023: The value of essential work

    15 March 2023

    Key workers are essential for societies to function. The new edition of the ILO flagship report calls for a revaluation of their work to reflect their social contribution, and for greater investment in key sectors.

  10. Factory Improvement Toolset case studies: Pakistan

    14 February 2023

    This report reviews the results of the pilot implementation of Factory Improvement Toolset (FIT) located in Pakistan.

  11. Implementation of the Factory Improvement Toolset in the Asian garment sector: Final report

    14 February 2023

    This final report reviews the results of the pilot implementation of Factory Improvement Toolset (FIT) across 27 factories located in Cambodia, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

2022

  1. Pakistan floods 2022: Post Disaster Needs Assessment - Supplemental Report

    02 December 2022

  2. Pakistan: The Employment - Environment - Climate Nexus: Employment and environmental sustainability factsheet

    30 November 2022

    The Employment-Environment-Climate Nexus Factsheets are a series produced for countries in the Asia-Pacific region. This Factsheet provides key features of labour market and environmental sustainability performance in Pakistan, as well as vulnerability to climate change and sectors with green jobs potential.

  3. Asia-Pacific Employment and Social Outlook 2022: Rethinking sectoral strategies for a human-centred future of work (Summary)

    28 November 2022

    Labour markets are recovering from the COVID-19 crisis in Asia and the Pacific, but now face new challenges like inflation and geopolitical tensions. The report gives the regional labour market context and makes a first-time assessment of regional sectoral estimates to highlight which sectors are growing as sources of jobs, which are shrinking and which harbour opportunities for “decent work”.

  4. Asia-Pacific Employment and Social Outlook 2022: Rethinking sectoral strategies for a human-centred future of work

    28 November 2022

    Labour markets are recovering from the COVID-19 crisis in Asia and the Pacific, but now face new challenges like inflation and geopolitical tensions. The report gives the regional labour market context and makes a first-time assessment of regional sectoral estimates to highlight which sectors are growing as sources of jobs, which are shrinking and which harbour opportunities for “decent work”.

  5. ILO Pakistan flood response - A job-rich recovery

    20 November 2022

    Between June and August 2022, torrential rains and a combination of riverine, urban, and flash flooding led to an unprecedented disaster in Pakistan. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), around 33 million people have been affected by the floods, including nearly 8 million displaced. Around 4.3 million people have faced disruption or loss of employment. The short to medium term strategy is linked to the long-term strategy articulated in the Decent Work Country Programme 2023-2027. Emergency response and early recovery is linked to a job-rich inclusive strategy for reconstruction and resilience and to long-term socio-economic development.

  6. Pakistan floods 2022: Post Disaster Needs Assessment - Main Report

    01 November 2022

  7. A study of deficits in the fundamental principles and rights at work in the brick kiln supply chain

    14 September 2022

    This study analyses supply chain processes in Pakistan’s brick kiln sector in order to identify deficits related to fundamental principles and rights at work (FPRW), with a focus on child labour and bonded labour. It was commissioned by the ILO Country Office for Pakistan as part of its implemented project on “Promotion of Decent Work Opportunities for the Economic Empowerment of Vulnerable Segments of Society”, funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.