World of Work podcasts by the ILO

The world of work is being buffeted by a torrent of change, with multiple crises raising the magnitude and complexity of employment challenges to unprecedented levels. Labour markets have been hit by disruptive mega-trends that weren’t on our radar just a decade ago. These range from challenges we already know like gender disparities, informality and youth unemployment, to new and emerging issues,...

In the world of work, men and women are often segregated by their type of work, one of the main reasons women suffered more job losses during the COVID-19 crisis than men and are facing a slower recovery. Now, a joint programme of UN Women and the ILO has developed a new tool to help policymakers rethink the design of sectoral policies and make informed decisions on where to invest to have a great...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, global demand for rubber gloves soared, prompting the Malaysian rubber industry to increase production in the face of labour shortages. Forced labour reports led, among other things, to the United States seizing and holding the goods of seven Malaysian companies. In response, the sector adopted a zero recruitment fee model and reimbursed migrant workers, making signif...

In a world with high rates of unemployment and underemployment, more and more people are looking for work amidst rapid change that is increasing skills mismatches and shortages. Millions of young people in the developing world acquire skills through apprenticeships in the informal economy. In many countries they greatly outnumber youth acquiring skills through formal technical and vocational educa...

In just three years Namibia has become a world leader when it comes to tackling forced labour in fishing. What’s more, Namibia now coordinates labour and environmental inspections of vessels. Namibia’s experience shows that environmental degradation and forced labour in fishing are no longer hidden and can be addressed cost-effectively at the same time. In this special episode we interview three f...

The world of work is undergoing profound change. These changes are creating skills gaps, mismatches and shortages that are resulting in unfilled jobs and lost productivity. So how do we close this skills gap? In search of an answer, the ILO has adopted a sweeping new international labour standard focused on updating its approach to skills and quality apprenticeships. The new “Recommendation on Qua...

Are we smart enough to manage the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the world of work? It seems there are rising concerns over whether AI is a "threat or a promise”. Is this concern warranted? To answer the question, we interviewed Uma Rani, a Senior Economist at the ILO’s Research Department, and Enrique Fernandez Macias, a researcher at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. They ex...

The world is facing a host of challenges causing sluggish employment growth in some societies. The COVID pandemic hasn’t helped, weakening, and even in some cases reversing hard won gains in employment, with devastating economic impact. One key problem is what a recent ILO report sees as a lack of what it calls “structural transformation”. In this podcast, Bernd Mueller, Manager of the Employment...

Advancing social justice is an idea that’s getting new attention these days. One of the main areas where the need for social justice is growing as something people want is the world of work. Achieving that will be a tall order, given that more and more people are looking for jobs and more and more jobs looking for people to fill them. In this challenging environment, what role can research and dia...

The workforce in the clothing and footwear manufacturing sector is often predominantly made up of female workers. Though these jobs require a high degree of skills, they are often underpaid, insecure and characterized by an uncertain future, in particular because of the risk of being replaced by automated equipment. So, how are women in the apparel and footwear manufacturing sectors affected by au...

In a world facing growing uncertainty, multiple transformative changes are buffeting the world of work. Will these changes mean people and countries are being left behind, or provide opportunities for a new approach to employment policies that can improve people’s livelihoods, and make economies grow sustainably and produce decent and productive jobs? In this podcast we ask two experts from the IL...

Technology has made enormous strides over the past few decades, improving many people’s lives, and creating incredible economic, scientific, and medical breakthroughs. For some, it has been “the great equalizer”. But others are being left behind in a widening social and economic divide. How can we resolve this paradox in the future of work? In this episode, we’ll examine this question with ILO Emp...

Go green has become the new mantra of our times. To mitigate the impact of climate change, we’re moving fast in new directions that promise to usher in a new green and digital transformation aimed at addressing climate issues that reach well beyond the world of work. There’s an urgency to do this: as the world heats up, we’re running out of time. In this podcast, Moustapha Kamal Gueye, ILO Directo...

A host of disruptive trends – ranging from public health crises, to accelerated automation, digitalization, and climate change – are putting labour markets under stress. New realities require new kinds of skills and re-skilling to help workers stay employed, and enterprises stay competitive. Career guidance has emerged as a critical element in both recovery plans and forward-looking strategies for...

This episode introduces the listener to free tools and resources that help SMEs on their journey to end forced labour. The tools and resources covered are particularly relevant to the SME context and help to implement fair recruitment, find and contact relevant organizations to partner with, access up to date, credible and relevant information, and more. In addition to our network coordinator, Lau...

Today, our world is facing an unprecedented number of challenges: climate and demographic change, COVID-19, and a lack of decent work and social security, among others. Poverty, inequality, and hunger are on the rise. So, what can we do to shift gears and start moving forward again? A new initiative has been launched by the UN Secretary General with ILO coordinating support to address these challe...

In March this year 300 people joined us to hear from three inspiring SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) who had entered our Global Award for SME Action on Forced Labour. Mariska van der Linden, ILO GBNFL consultant, has taken the highlights from this event and turned them into a podcast. Listen to the podcast to hear from: - The ARTE Group, a company making kitchen worktops which successfu...

Over more than a decade, a series of economic crises have led to major shifts in the labour markets – creating new types of jobs and destroying existing ones. Researchers are examining the extent of these changes in employment structures, ranging from the decline in mid-paid jobs to the upgrading in high-paid, high-skilled jobs. How are these changes affecting different regions or economies? And w...

Are you a small- or medium-sized enterprise (SME) owner or employee? Then this podcast series is for you. In three short episodes we introduce you to forced labour, share the latest figures, show you how to spot the signs, and point you in the direction of useful tools and resources. Even better, we introduce you to three SME owners/directors who are taking on forced labour and child labour and ma...

The global phenomenon of digitalization is increasingly going local. Worldwide, informal online platform work is growing, creating new jobs. Rwanda is a unique example. The central African country has seen increasing migration of young people from rural to urban areas. These young people need jobs—and both formal jobs, and more informal work in the gig and platform economy are providing opportunit...

Algorithmic management has been seen as a positive technological and digital factor in the organization of economic activity, but it also comes with a range of challenges. While some may see it as a useful tool for increasing organizational ability to control and monitor complex economic and work processes, with the increasing capacity to collect, store and process digital information it also rais...

Over the past decade, the world has witnessed a rise in platforms and the growing platformization of work. Many of the new forms of work are being generated in the gig economy. These trends are also pervasive in India. While these developments have resulted in increased access to work for women, they are also characterized by higher levels of uncertainty and lesser incentives for skills- and capac...

Life is about transitions--at work, in our personal lives, as we age. Diverse megatrends – from demographics to climate change, from globalization to technological advances and digitalization – are transforming the world of work in ways that are presenting, sometimes new turbulence to the difficult transitions throughout our lives, What’s more, the COVID pandemic has further added to the transitio...

Digitalization is changing the nature, mode, and pace of work. This means the skilling and re-skilling of workers will be essential if enterprises and entire industries are to maintain and increase functionality and productivity, effectively manage shocks, ensure, and sustain the well-being and livelihoods of workers, and create decent jobs. Understanding and anticipating the evolving skills needs...

In many ways, digitalization has made the world of work a better place, supporting growth in both productivity and incomes. Yet many groups of workers, in particular, those who are already disadvantaged and marginalized such as women, older persons, and persons with disabilities, face dual challenges associated with unequal access to digital technologies compounded by the lack of capacities to use...