The International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Research Department, the ILO Country Office for Brussels and Benelux, under Research Project ASSESS on “Trade, enterprises and labour markets” with the European Commission (EC)
Background
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes the role of both trade and decent work in achieving some of the Sustainable Development Goals. Specifically, Goal 17 emphasizes the need for an inclusive trading system, while Goal 8 calls, inter alia, for the promotion of decent work and economic growth. Indeed, international trade is widely considered to be an engine for economic growth and development that enhances labour markets by increasing labour productivity and creating employment opportunities. Trade has benefited workers at all skill levels in both developed and developing economies and helped to lift millions of people out of poverty. However, alongside these positive effects there are also challenges, since not all workers and firms are able to benefit from trade to the same extent. Trade creates losers as well as winners, and a sense of insecurity is often associated with the distributional nature of its effects. These effects include higher job polarization and income inequality in many advanced economies, and increased rates of informality, exploitative work and regional inequality in developing and emerging economies. Nevertheless, many assessments of the impact of trade on labour markets do not fully take into account the qualitative dimension of employment, which encompasses workers’ rights, working conditions and other aspects of decent work.
Workshop Description
The peer review workshop discussed how trade impacts on the labour market by critically assessing the existing methodological approaches and proposing a broad set of labour market indicators, based on the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda. The indicators and methodology are also implemented in empirical analysis at the country level.
Workshop Objectives
The peer review workshop aimed at improving dialogue and share knowledge between the relevant actors, including the social partners about the labour market outcomes of trade by presenting analysis and discussing new findings on the effects of trade on the labour market based on two forthcoming ILO publications, and one case study of Mexico.
Questions
How can assessments of the impact of trade on firms and workers more fully capture different aspects of decent work?
What indicators of decent work are relevant for specific countries in the context of trade?
How can the indicators and methodologies be applied at the country and sectoral level?
Agenda
14:10 – 14:30 Welcome and Opening Presentation
ILO, Richard Samans, Director, Research Department
EC, Lluís Prats, Head of Unit, International Issues DG EMPL, “External dimension of EU’s employment and social policies”
Presentation: Juan Carlos Moreno Brid, “Trade liberalization, labor market outcomes and decent work in Mexico: The automotive and the textiles industries”, UNAM
Discussant: José Valentin Solis, Directorate Integration, Analysis and Investigation, INEGI
Q&A
17:00 – 17:15 Closing remarks
ILO, Richard Samans, Director, Research Department
EC, Lluís Prats, Head of Unit, International Issues DG EMPL
