The Global Commission on the Future of Work focused its second meeting on a continuing discussion of the main themes that are shaping the future of the world of work.
Following its first meeting in October 2017, which looked at the broad opportunities and challenges surrounding the future of work, the 28-member Global Commission concentrated on six themes covering specific aspects of the world of work.
The themes concerned:
*the role of work for individuals and society
*bringing an end to women’s pervasive global inequality in the world of work
*technology for social, environmental and economic development
*managing change during every phase of transformation and education
*new approaches to growth and development
*the future governance of work
The discussions covered issues such as the platform economy, skills policies and systems, the informal economy, global value chains, universal social protection, migration, and the situation and aspirations of youth, examining both developing and developed country perspectives in each case.
Looking forward, the Commissioners agreed that a series of technical outreach meetings should be organized to explore issues that require further analysis. The ILO will also seek interaction with other international organizations working on the future of work. An information meeting will be held with ILO Member States in the near future.
The Global Commission is expected to meet twice more in 2018 before submitting a report in early 2019, the year of the ILO centenary. The Commissioners stressed their commitment to come up with a report that is strategic, political and action-oriented in nature.
The next meeting of the Global Commission is scheduled to take place in Geneva on 15-17 May.
The Global Commission was set up in 2017 to assess the transformative changes taking place in the world of work and to make recommendations on the way forward. It marks the second stage of the ILO’s Future of Work Initiative ,launched by ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, in 2013, following the first phase during which ILO member States convened national and sub-regional dialogues to provide their perspectives on the future of work.
