Impacts Identified From the 2023 G20 Summit on Employment Trends
The Our Group, an active member of the G20 process for the past 12 years, has endorsed the final recommendations from the G20's Future of Work and Education Task Force, following the 2022 summit held in Bali, Indonesia.
The Task Force's key advocacy priorities focus on three main areas: appropriate regulation for recovery and job creation, education for employability, and inclusion.
1. **Appropriate Regulation for Recovery and Job Creation**
The Task Force advocates for regulatory frameworks that support sustainable job creation and economic recovery. This involves promoting quality employment, not just by job numbers, but also by ensuring fair pay, dignity, autonomy, security, and career progression. The regulatory efforts should also encourage employer investment in upskilling and reskilling, particularly in emerging sectors like AI, cybersecurity, and clean energy.
2. **Education for Employability**
The Task Force places a major focus on equipping workers with relevant skills to thrive in a rapidly changing labor market. This includes recognition of short-term certifications, sector-specific training, and enhancing mobility of skills across regions. Investments in digital education and lifelong learning are critical, supporting employability through quality education and skills training. Strengthening the attractiveness and support for teaching careers is also essential to ensure a capable workforce that can deliver future-ready education.
3. **Inclusion**
The Task Force advocates for inclusive, equitable education systems that leave no one behind. This means prioritizing foundational learning as a base for lifelong development and ensuring equitable access to educational opportunities. Additionally, social inclusion is supported through civic education that fosters democratic resilience, critical thinking, media literacy, and social cohesion. Emphasis is also placed on mental health and psycho-social support for educators, recognizing their crucial role and challenges faced during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Our Group, which is present in 18 out of the 20 G20 Nations, has been an active member of the B20 Future of Work and Education Task Force since 2011. The group is working with the Confederation's National Federations, often led by the group's representatives, to fight for appropriate regulation in all G20 countries.
The final recommendations paper includes action items such as the implementation of national and international regulatory frameworks for diverse forms of work, improving the effectiveness of Active Labor Market Policies, and investing in career management and support services. The expansion of youth-targeted, work-based learning systems such as VET, apprenticeships, internships, and externships is being supported, aligned to growth sectors.
The Our Group is also actively supporting the creation of incentives for entry-level workers from the informal sector to transition into formal employment. The group looks forward to the 2023 G20/B20 process under the Presidency of India.
It's worth noting that in other G20 countries like Australia, Brazil, certain regions of Canada, Mexico, and South Africa, regulatory developments aimed at the Labour Market have been concerning for the sector in recent months. The Future of Work and Education Task Force at this year's G20 focused on these crucial advocacy priorities amidst a backdrop of global crises, including geopolitical uncertainty, inflation, energy and climate crisis, and the War in Ukraine.
B20 centres around five key areas of focus as identified by the G20, with the summit addressing these issues comprehensively. Many G20 countries, including Argentina, France, Germany, Indonesia, India, Italy, Japan, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have favourable trends for the Our Group's operations. The final recommendations paper also addresses regulatory impediments and encourages legal compliance, including the digitalization of relevant regulatory processes.
- The Our Group, alongside other industry leaders, advocates for the implementation of national and international policy-and-legislation that fosters sustainable job creation and economic recovery, particularly in sectors like AI, cybersecurity, and clean energy.
- Recognizing the importance of equipping workers with relevant skills, the Our Group supports the implementation of Active Labor Market Policies aimed at improving employability and lifelong learning opportunities.
- In the realm of education, the Our Group endorses the creation of inclusive, equitable systems that ensure foundational learning and equal access to educational opportunities for all.
- As part of their efforts, the Our Group is involved in fighting for appropriate regulation in various G20 countries, including the creation of incentives for workers from the informal sector to transition into formal employment, thus promoting general-news headlines that emphasize progressive employment services and recruitment practices.
