World of Work podcasts by the ILO

The latest episode of the “Global Challenges - Global Solutions” podcast explores the transformative role of Big Data in shaping policies and informing decision-making in today’s interconnected world. Big Data is different from traditional data, covering a wider range of information, and can include insights gathered from mobile phone data This new tool for powering economic development and inform...

This PROSPECTS podcast episode explores how the private sector can drive economic inclusion of young refugees by expanding access to decent work and protecting their rights at work. Roman Bojko, Human Rights and Social Impact Leader at Ingka Group shares more about the company’s global Skills for Employment initiative and lessons learned from integrating refugee talent across 26 countries. The con...

Is trade good or bad for jobs? For years, ILO research has shown how international trade can be an engine of growth and creating decent jobs. But things are changing. The realities of trade and investment today are far more complicated than they used to be, and globalization has had an uneven impact. So, does it still mean that trade remains a viable strategy for promoting growth and reducing pove...

Investments in skills are instrumental in achieving social and economic goals. From the perspective of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, skills are important to achieving SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth, SDG 4 which includes TVET, and others. Be that as it may, levels of financing of skills and lifelong learning remain inadequate and not in tune with national development needs. The...

In this sixth episode of Refugees at work – What are their prospects?, we explore how the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus (HDPN) is reshaping the international refugee response. Speakers, Svein Erik Stav and Tewodros Aragie Kebede share research findings and field experience from Uganda, Ethiopia, Jordan and Colombia, where new policies have expanded refugee access to work and fostered econom...

The majority of the world’s refugees live in countries with fragile economies, where opportunities for employment and self-reliance are often limited. With displacement lasting more than a decade on average, the question of how refugees can build sustainable livelihoods has become increasingly urgent. In this fifth episode of Refugees at work – What are their Prospects?, Professor Alexander Betts...

This episode traces the ILO’s long history of engagement in displacement contexts, from its early work in the aftermath of the World Wars to its leadership today in promoting decent work for refugees and host community members. Nick Grisewood explains how the Syrian crisis, the New York Declaration, and the Global Compact on Refugees shaped the ILO’s renewed involvement and laid the foundation for...

The third episode of the Refugees at Work series turns to the critical role of donors in advancing inclusive and sustainable responses to forced displacement. Ana Uzelac reflects on how the Netherlands has pioneered new approaches through the PROSPECTS partnership, shifting from short-term humanitarian aid to multi-annual development financing that prioritizes refugee self-reliance and host commun...

This PROSPECTS podcast episode explores young refugees’ rights to and at work. Despite international commitments recognizing their right to decent work, refugee youth continue to face legal, political, and practical barriers to full economic inclusion. Hasan Almatroud, a young Syrian refugee leader and Programme Coordinator for Amala Education in Jordan, and Shadya Abduljabbar, a Yemeni refugee in...

The number of refugees worldwide has doubled in the past decade to 32 million, making forced displacement one of the defining challenges of our time. Yet the struggle to balance humanitarian response, labour market realities, and long-term development is not new. In this second episode of Refugees at Work – What Are Their Prospects?, we speak with Katy Long about the ILO’s 100-year history navigat...

The first episode in the series provides a comprehensive overview of the evolving dynamics of forced displacement and their implications for labour markets and development policy in host countries. Professor Zetter outlines key trends, including the increasingly protracted nature of refugee situations, the shift from camps to urban settlements, and the increasing importance of labour market access...

ILO Senior Researcher Pawel Gmyrek joins Manjula Selvarajah, technology columnist and host at CBC Radio One (Canada), to unpack the findings of a new ILO Working Paper on generative AI and jobs. The conversation explores how GenAI is transforming the world of work, the methodology behind the ILO’s refined global exposure index, and what policymakers, workers, and employers should keep in mind as t...

What happens when algorithms — not people — decide who gets hired, promoted, or assigned the night shift? In this debut episode of Work in Progress, Alessandro from the ILO Research Department speaks with Nikolai Rogovsky, Senior Economist at the ILO, about how artificial intelligence is transforming human resource management — and what it means for fairness, dignity, and the future of work. With...

Things should be looking good for young people in the world of work, but they’re not. While unemployment among young workers between 15 and 24 has recovered from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, there’s a growing epidemic of unhappiness among those workers in both the developed and now the developing world. So, what is to be done? This podcast asks David Blanchflower, a professor at Dartmouth...

In the past half decade, the world of work has faced unprecedented challenges in the form of a global pandemic, social, political and economic crises, the explosive growth of Artificial Intelligence, and an increase in destructive climate events, among others. Meeting these challenges will require policies that support SDG 8 on decent jobs and economic growth and help advance the broader objective...

Campaña para promover la formalización y el reconocimiento social de las trabajadoras del hogar en el Perú

Campaña para promover la formalización y el reconocimiento social de las trabajadoras del hogar en el Perú

Campaña para promover la formalización y el reconocimiento social de las trabajadoras del hogar en el Perú

Can Nature-based Solutions help us address environmental challenges, while laying the groundwork for creating millions of new jobs? A report by the ILO, the UN Environment Programme and the International Union for Conservation of Nature titled “Decent Work in Nature-based Solutions (NbS) says NbS has the potential to add up to 32 million jobs by 2030 to the already more than 60 million working to...

Good employment policies underpin efforts to create more and better jobs, and help reduce inequalities and poverty, and empower people, especially women, young people and the most vulnerable such as people with disabilities. What is more, these polices also help address decent work deficits and are critically important to the realization of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG...

Amid rising labour shortages and employers around the world struggling to find skilled workers, labour migration, if managed properly, can help widen the pool of available skills. But the complex issue of increasing migration and the skills challenges faced by migrant workers and employers is huge. So how can we help migrant workers acquire the skills they need to find decent jobs, and employers f...

Productivity growth is seen as central to economic development and social progress and drives up wages, living standards for workers and the competitiveness of businesses. So, how are different regions and countries increasing productivity, and can it be done in an inclusive way? In this podcast Professor Gaaitzen De Vries in the Department of Global Economics and Management of the University of G...

The number of ageing workers in the workforce is growing. People are working longer, either because they want to, they need to to make ends meet or have because they have unique skills. So, what are the implications of this trend for the trade union movement? What does it mean for older workers and their representatives? And how can trade unions address the multiple challenges that are emerging as...

There’s a new trend in the world of work…the growth of an ageing workforce. It’s called the “Silver Tsunami’, and it means more people are working past retirement age, either because they want to or because they must, to make ends meet. So, what are the implications of this trend? What does it mean for retirement plans and social security? And what does it mean for employers and enterprises faced...

An explosion of online and micro-credential programmes since COVID-19 highlights the importance of lifelong learning to upskilling, reskilling and economic recovery. While these learning courses may help successfully train and equip large numbers of workers with the skills needed for the jobs of the future, they also raise several questions. In this podcast we explore the future of micro-credentia...