To Support a Job-Rich Recovery, ILO Launches Drive to Broaden Ratification of Key Employment Services Conventions

The International Labour Organization is launching a campaign aimed at increasing ratifications and implementation by member States of its key Conventions on public and private employment services, which have become increasingly vital to shoring up labour markets and assuring a job-rich recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

News | 05 April 2022
The #RatifyC88&C181 campaign will be presented at a tripartite webinar organized by the ILO on 12 May 2022 at 10am CET.  (Webinar and registration information)

ILO Convention Nos. 88 and 181 promote the fundamental roles of both public and private employment services in serving workers and employers and achieving well-functioning labour markets. According to the ILO, they are among the most cost-effective labour market interventions to match workers with jobs and enhance their employability, while helping employers find the workers with the skills they need.

Furthermore, the ILO has noted the key role of employment services in responding to economic crises, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated unemployment, underemployment, and inactivity – as well as skills mismatches across sectors.

In addition to a presentation of the campaign by the ILO, participants in the 12 May webinar will hear from government representatives from ILO member States that have ratified one or both conventions – France, Japan, Ethiopia, Uruguay, and Lebanon. They will be joined by representatives from the ILO Governing Body’s Workers’ and Employers’ Groups in sharing lessons learnt and the impact of these ratifications and their implementation in national labour markets. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions to the panelists.

In its call for more member States to ratify and implement the conventions, the ILO notes that the labour market is changing more rapidly than ever, with workers worldwide changing jobs three to five times on average over the course of their careers, and many countries twice that figure. Meanwhile, many countries are also experiencing persistent skill gaps as technological adoption is transforming tasks and occupations. Even at the height of the pandemic that resulted in unprecedented unemployment levels in recent times, employers in sectors such as hospitality, construction, and healthcare struggled to fill vacancies.

Wider ratification and effective implementation of both conventions is crucial for resilient labour markets, full and productive employment, and decent work.