Basic metals

Modern infrastructure and industries are built with iron and steel.

Throughout history, the highly cyclical sector has been characterized by high volatility. However, the revolution in materials science, the need to decarbonize, and the adoption of more advanced technologies means that the future organization of production and work becomes even more uncertain and unpredictable.

Occupational safety and health remains a challenge. The ILO promotes the right to a safe and healthy working environment in the sector, including through the implementation of the Codes of Practice on safety and health in the iron and steel industry and the non-ferrous metals industries.

Key resources

The line graphs show a time series of modelled global and regional employment estimates at the sectoral level. The ILO modelled estimates generally cover 189 countries, offering a comprehensive set of internationally comparable labour statistics. These include both reported data and imputed figures for countries with missing information. The imputations are generated using econometric models developed by the ILO.

For more detailed labour market indicators and country-level data, visit the Sectoral Employment Statistics page of the ILOSTAT database.

The line graphs show a time series of modelled global and regional employment estimates at the sectoral level. The ILO modelled estimates generally cover 189 countries, offering a comprehensive set of internationally comparable labour statistics. These include both reported data and imputed figures for countries with missing information. The imputations are generated using econometric models developed by the ILO.

For more detailed labour market indicators and country-level data, visit the Sectoral Employment Statistics page of the ILOSTAT database.