Thematic analysis and practical advice

  1. A universal commitment to end child labour

    07 August 2020

    The universal ratification of Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour by all 187 ILO member States reflects a global commitment to protect children all around the world. With COVID-19 threatening to reverse 20 years of progress, implementation of the Convention is needed more than ever.

  2. Guidelines on Rapid Assessment of reskilling and upskilling needs in response to the COVID-19 crisis

    07 August 2020

  3. Needs assessment survey: The impact of COVID-19 on enterprises

    03 August 2020

    This survey tool has been developed by the ILO Bureau for Employers’ Activities (ILO-ACT/EMP) to help employers and business membership organizations (EBMOs) evaluate the needs of enterprises as a result of on-going COVID-19 crisis. This survey tool is an update to the first one released in March 2020 (see here) and assists EBMOs gain membership insights by assessing priorities and challenges enterprises are facing due to the prolonged crisis situation.

  4. Macro policy options to stimulate pandemic-hit economies

    30 July 2020

    The policy brief provides an overview of current monetary and fiscal policy measures to tackle the economic and social consequences of the Covid-19 crisis around the world. It argues that a full economic recovery requires a proper solution to the health crisis in order to be able to remove current confinement and social distancing measures. Moreover, the brief argues that to be successful, countries need to provide sizeable measures to support both supply and demand. Ideally, such support should be provided in the form of universal benefits and grants that maintain economic ties and earnings capacity. Moreover, governments need to mobilize all forms of economic support, using social protection, discretionary fiscal policy measures and monetary interventions. Countries that dispose of less fiscal space should be encouraged to introduce new, innovative approaches, including as regards the administration of their support systems, and be able to call upon the support of the international community. To fully recover from the crisis, governments, businesses and workers will need to add “resilience” to their vocabulary to ensure a sustainable return of economic activity.

  5. A gender-responsive employment recovery: Building back fairer

    24 July 2020

    The COVID-19 crisis has laid bare the entrenched gender inequalities that plague labour markets. Building back fairer will only be possible by tackling these inequalities head on during the emergency and recovery phases.

  6. The ILO Global Summit Highlights: COVID-19 and the World of Work

    22 July 2020

    From the 1st to the 9th of July, the ILO hosted the largest ever online summit of workers, employers and government representatives to address the impact of COVID-19 on the world of work, and how to build a better future of work after the pandemic. Find out more: global-summit.ilo.org/en

  7. Enterprise survey tool: Assessing training needs resulting from COVID-19

    22 July 2020

    This enterprise survey template is made available to employer and business membership organizations (EBMOs) so that they can assess the training and development needs their members require for staff. The survey will enable EBMOs to adapt their own provision of training to its members and support the development of a tailored curriculum with an appropriate pricing strategy. It will also provide an indication of members’ preference for virtual training so EBMOs can consider both short-term and longer-term investment in digitalizing training services.

  8. COVID-19 response and recovery in countries affected by disasters and climate vulnerability: Challenges and opportunities

    17 July 2020

    The aim of this note is to highlight the potential difficulties as well as the mutually reinforcing benefits of responding to the pandemic in disaster-prone countries.

  9. Jump-starting a green recovery with more and better jobs, healthy and resilient societies

    16 July 2020

    As economies restart, there is an opportunity to develop public and private policies to address the current climate change crisis gradually and foster the transition to a green economy. The reconstruction of the economic fabric should lay the foundations for environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive production and consumption as we move into the future.

  10. The green economy is crucial to the COVID-19 recovery process’

    15 July 2020

    At the UN High Level Political Forum event on the Green Economy and COVID19 recovery, ILO Director-General Guy Ryder states that "we must address now the existential challenges of climate change and environmental sustainability." The ILO will play its part in building back better and greener.

  11. Disability inclusion in company responses to COVID-19

    09 July 2020

    In May 2020, the ILO Global Business and Disability Network conducted two surveys – one for National Business and Disability Networks (NBDN) and one for those networks’ company members – to identify good practices and gaps in responding to the COVID-19 crisis in a disability-inclusive way. In total, 159 companies from 22 countries (representing four regions) participated in the company survey, and 19 national networks participated in the NBDN survey.

  12. Disability inclusion in company responses to COVID-19: Results of a survey among National Business and Disability Networks and their members

    08 July 2020

    In May 2020, the ILO Global Business and Disability Network conducted two surveys – one for National Business and Disability Networks (NBDN) and one for those networks’ company members – to identify good practices and gaps in responding to the COVID-19 crisis in a disability-inclusive way. In total, 159 companies from 22 countries (representing four regions) participated in the company survey, and 19 national networks participated in the NBDN survey.

  13. Enabling Environment for Sustainable Enterprises and the Post- COVID-19 Rapid Response

    07 July 2020

    The brief provides guidance to policymakers on how to address reform priorities in the medium- to long-term and reconfigure their policy settings toward a more resilient and robust economy driven by sustainable micro, small and medium enterprises and more productive and decent employment.

  14. The role of Cooperatives and SSE in the COVID-19 response

    03 July 2020

    Cooperatives and other social and solidarity economy (SSE) enterprises around the world are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In responding to this crisis, they have provided essential assistance to their members, adapted their services, connecting people in need of support with local governments and social partners.

  15. Employers and workers negotiating measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, protect livelihoods and support recovery: A review of practice

    03 July 2020

  16. A global survey of employer and business membership organizations: Inside impacts and responses to COVID-19

    29 June 2020

    In a joint effort to understand the real demands and challenges EBMOs are facing, the International Labour Organization – Bureau for Employers’ Activities (ILO-ACT/EMP) and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) conducted a global survey of EBMOs. This rich information base, enables to assess the most pressing needs of EBMOs.

  17. COVID-19 and global supply chains: How the jobs crisis propagates across borders

    29 June 2020

    This brief investigates the international propagation through global supply chains of the demand and supply disruptions caused by the COVID-19 crisis. It provides estimates of the number of jobs in manufacturing supply chains that are at risk as a result of those disruptions.

  18. Message from ILO's Director-General Guy Ryder for International MSME Day 2020

    26 June 2020

    The 2020 International Day of Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) was celebrated on Saturday 27 June. This year, the theme was "COVID-19: The Great Lockdown and its impact on Small Business" which is closely linked to SDG8. On this occasion ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, issued a short video message.

  19. Migrant workers among the hardest hit by COVID-19 pandemic

    24 June 2020

    The COVID-19 pandemic is having a severe impact on millions of migrant workers around the world, says the ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, many of whom lack any access to social protection or economic support of any kind.

  20. COVID-19 and labour migration

    24 June 2020

    Tens of millions of migrant workers face unemployment and poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic. While many migrant workers, particularly women, are doing essential jobs for their host societies, such as health care, many others have lost jobs or work informally. As containment measures ease, millions of migrant workers may be required to return where labour markets are already under strain from high levels of unemployment and business disruptions.