UN Reacts to Disruptive Future of Work

Investing in people will be necessary to address a future workplace transformed by technological changes, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO). The Geneva-based United Nations agency charged with setting international labor standards is calling for employers, labor organizations and governments to take up its "human-centered agenda" to stave off the loss of jobs due to the rise of automation, the growing skills divide and demographic changes pressuring labor markets. The experts and senior leaders representing business, academia, trade unions and nongovernmental organizations serving on the ILO Global Commission on the Future of Work undertook a 15-month review and produced a report in January asking world leaders to enshrine a host of worker protections, including the right to a living wage and maximum limits on working hours; freedom from forced labor; regulatory oversight of data use, artificial intelligence and gig economy platforms; and a universal entitlement to lifelong learning that enables people to skill, reskill and upskill.