Working papers
Working paper 158
Revisiting occupational segregation and the valuation of women’s work
This working paper revisits long-term trends in occupational segregation and pay to explore how women’s work is valued in the labour market, with a particular focus on care workers and the remuneration of their skills.
ILO Working Paper 157
The Impact of Labour Laws on the Labour Share of National Income, Productivity, Unemployment and Employment: First Results from the 2023...
This paper reports first results from the extension of the CBR Labour Regulation Index (CBR-LRI) to include changes in labour laws around the world over the last decade. The index, which previously went up to 2013, now codes for labour laws in 117...
Working Paper 156
Universal Health Insurance Schemes: A comparative analysis of implementation features in 10 low- and middle-income countries
Achieving universal health coverage is a key objective of social protection systems. Countries use different mechanisms to guarantee social health protection, and this report focuses on those adopting universal health insurance models. While...
Working Paper 155
From Organic Waste to Agrifood Value: Appropriate Technologies for Circular Economy and Job Creation
Discover how innovative organic waste solutions can drive green job creation and strengthen agrifood systems in Africa. This working paper highlights practical technologies and policy actions that turn waste into economic and environmental value.
Working Paper 154
AI in human resource management: The limits of empiricism
This paper critically examines the use of AI in human resource management, showing how flawed objectives, biased data, and opaque programming undermine its effectiveness. It challenges the optimism surrounding AI’s promise of efficiency and fairness...
ILO Working Paper 153
The return of the visible hand: Social dialogue and the making of 21st-century industrial policy
Industrial policy has returned amid geopolitical rivalry, supply-chain fragility, and contemporary grand transitions, but its performance hinges less on ideology than on governance and design. By examining three comparative cases (Germany, Republic...
ILO Working Paper 152
Compliance with Labour Regulations in West African Countries : A Multi-Dimensional and Dynamic Analysis
This paper examines compliance with labour regulations across West Africa, revealing widespread and persistent gaps between legal protections and workers’ actual conditions. It highlights the need to strengthen enforcement and promote decent work to...
ILO Working Paper 151
Do productivity gains translate into adequate wages? Firm-level evidence from Ethiopia (LIMMS, 2018–2020)
This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between firm productivity, wages, and employment dynamics in Ethiopia’s manufacturing sector between 2018 and 2020. Using firm-level data from the Large and Medium Manufacturing and...
ILO Working paper 150
Conflicts and Climate Change in South Sudan 2012-2023
This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the economic impacts of conflict and climate shocks—particularly floods and droughts—on South Sudan between 2012 and 2023. By leveraging innovative remote sensing techniques and geospatial data, it...
ILO Working Paper 149
Navigating workers' data rights in the digital age
This paper examines how existing data protection laws often fail to safeguard workers in increasingly digitalized workplaces. It highlights regulatory gaps across jurisdictions and proposes worker-centric data governance solutions to ensure fairer,...
ILO Working Paper 148
The formation of a National Unemployment Benefit Fund in Eswatini
Assessing Options for the Institutional Framework and operation of the scheme.
ILO Working Paper 147
Returns to education in heterogenous labour markets: The case of Peru
This paper examines the private returns to education in the context of heterogeneous labour markets, using Peru as a case study. While education is widely considered a key driver of individual earnings and economic growth, its actual returns may be...
ILO Working paper 145
The role of collective bargaining in promoting just transitions
This working paper explores the role of collective bargaining in achieving a just transition, drawing on recent literature and a sample of 512 collective agreements. An in-depth study of six country case studies from various regions highlights key...
ILO Working Paper 144
Global case studies of social dialogue on AI and algorithmic management
This working paper explores how social dialogue is shaping the use of AI and algorithmic tools in workplaces across five continents. Through case studies, it highlights how worker representatives are influencing AI-related decisions in areas like...
ILO Working Paper 143
Collective bargaining and collective action in the platform economy
This working paper was prepared in 2024 and reviews developments internationally since 2021 relating to the exercise of the right to bargain collectively and the existence of collective agreements among workers in the platform economy. The paper...
ILO Working Paper 142
Developing effective digital case management systems for labour dispute prevention and resolution institutions
Lessons learned from the ILO 2025 South-South and Triangular Cooperation workshop on digital case management systems
ILO Working Paper 141
A study of the employment and earnings outcomes of second-generation migrants
This ILO Working Paper explores the labour market outcomes of second-generation migrants in 32 countries, drawing on extensive microdata. It provides comparative insights into their employment patterns and examines the legal frameworks shaping their...
ILO Working Paper 140
Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure
This ILO Working Paper refines the global measurement of occupational exposure to generative AI by combining task-level data, expert input, and AI model predictions. It offers an improved methodological framework to assess how GenAI may impact jobs...
ILO Working paper 139
Demographic change in Europe and Central Asia: Addressing the issue of a shrinking and ageing labour force
The publication provides projections of the region’s labour force evolution through to 2050, alongside an analysis of the challenges posed by these demographic shifts.
ILO Working paper 138
Responses of technical and vocational education and training institutions to the needs of industry’s digital transformation in South-East...
This paper investigates the responses of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions in South-East Asia to the demands of industry’s digital transformation in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0).