Pressing Issues and Profitable Prospects in Achieving Workplace Equality Worldwide
In the face of the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, labor market stakeholders are working tirelessly to promote social inclusion, combat marginalization, and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Particular focus is being placed on SDG1 (No Poverty), SDG5 (Gender Equality), and SDG10 (Reduced Inequalities).
Strengthening Social Protection Systems
Over 100 countries have implemented nearly 350 social protection measures between 2022 and 2023, though most were short-term. Sustainable development requires nationally appropriate, universal social protection systems that cover informal workers to mitigate poverty risks and economic shocks. These systems are designed to promote social inclusion and prevent poverty traps, thereby supporting decent work and formality.
Promoting Decent Work and Formal Employment
Efforts are underway to integrate informal workers into formal labor markets with protections and benefits. Improving health and well-being frameworks in workplaces, alongside equitable economic policies, ensures decent, inclusive work environments. Ministries of health and labor collaborate to design equitable policies that strengthen health coverage and welfare systems, essential for maintaining workforce productivity during and beyond the pandemic.
Eliminating Bias, Discrimination, and Promoting Gender Equality (SDG5)
Multinational initiatives, such as G20 commitments, focus on reducing gender labor participation gaps by 25% by 2025, addressing structural barriers for women’s economic empowerment. Labor policies emphasize non-discrimination, equal pay, and rights enforcement to open opportunities for women and marginalized groups.
Reducing Inequalities (SDG10)
Stakeholders advocate inclusive economic policies that reduce inequalities within and among countries. These include equitable access to education and skills development, particularly for populations hard-hit by COVID-19 disruptions, such as children and youth facing increased learning poverty, and vulnerable informal sector workers.
Focus on Equal Access to the World of Work
Initiatives aim to remove structural and systemic barriers—such as discrimination based on gender or socioeconomic status—and promote inclusivity through digital inclusion, skill-building, and health protections. This also involves addressing workplace pollution and hazardous exposures to ensure safe employment environments for all workers.
Together, these actions reflect a multi-stakeholder approach, combining government policy reforms, international cooperation, and social dialogue with employers and workers' organizations to build resilient labor markets that advance SDGs 1, 5, and 10, particularly in the context of COVID-19’s socioeconomic impact.
Fighting Discrimination and Ensuring Representation
Fighting discrimination across the full HR value chain is crucial to ensure equal representation in boardrooms, senior executive leadership, parliaments, and local government. Temporary work, internships, work experience schemes, and apprenticeships can help young people overcome barriers to formal employment.
Combating Exclusion and Marginalization
The World of Work is a critical arena for combating exclusion and marginalization because it provides livelihoods, economic opportunity, and economic participation. According to the UN, 4 billion people are still not covered by social protection. Millions of workers in the informal economy, which accounts for 61% of the global labour force, are experiencing unabated income losses due to the pandemic and lack access to social protection schemes.
The Road Ahead: Agenda 2030 and Beyond
In September 2015, the United Nations adopted a plan called the 'Agenda 2030', which includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at improving the future for everyone. As we navigate the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic, it is crucial that we continue to prioritize these goals and work together to build a more equitable, inclusive, and resilient world of work.
Unpaid Domestic Care Work and Gender-based Inequalities
Unpaid domestic care work has soared during the pandemic, disproportionately affecting women. Gender-based gaps in decision-making bodies persist. The fight against gender-based marginalization significantly needs to be stepped up, particularly in the wake of the Covid pandemic given its disproportionate impact on women.
References
[1] International Labour Organization (ILO). (2021). COVID-19 and the world of work: ILO policy brief. Retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---sector/documents/publication/wcms_769044.pdf
[2] International Labour Organization (ILO). (2021). ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work. Retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/centenary/declaration/lang--en/index.htm
[3] United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2021). Education Cannot Wait: A global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises. Retrieved from https://en.unesco.org/education-cannot-wait
[4] United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (2020). Accelerating SDG 5: Gender equality and women's empowerment. Retrieved from https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/gender-equality.html
[5] United Nations Women. (2021). Women's Empowerment Principles: Equality Means Business. Retrieved from https://www.wepricing.org/
- To ensure long-term progress in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, finance and investment strategies should prioritize education-and-self-development, particularly for vulnerable populations, as well as tech-driven solutions that aim to eliminate the digital divide, promoting equal opportunities and general news dissemination.
- In the tech-dominated world of the future, recruitment policies should focus on diversity and inclusion, with emphasis on challenging stereotypes and unconscious biases, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their background or socioeconomic status, have equal access to tech-based careers and opportunities.
- As the world advances technologically, it is crucial to address the challenges posed by lifestyle factors such as workplace pollution and hazardous exposures in the tech sector, working towards the creation of safe and sustainable work environments that promote both general health and wellbeing and reduced inequalities (SDG10).
