Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), has called on G20 Labour and Employment Ministers to tackle skills gaps, invest in social protection systems, and embrace sustainable financing mechanisms for employment and social protection policies.

He also called for the closing of the growing fractures in the global labour market and reducing inequalities.

Mr. Houngbo made the call at the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers’ meeting, which highlighted the need to sustainably finance social protection, to extend social security to more workers, including in the gig and platform economies, and to address the global skills gap.

The Ministers’ meeting, which was hosted by India and took place in Indore also, focused on three main topics: addressing the global skills gaps, extending social protection to platform and gig workers, and sustainably financing national social protection systems, according to a document made available to the Ghana News Agency.

“At present, the global employment divide is deepening in the face of global shocks and risks, with low-income countries being left further and further behind,” Mr. Houngbo stated.

“To tackle this situation and to promote social justice, more global resources must be mobilized." 

“Initiatives such as the UN Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions play a pivotal role in generating the necessary technical and financial support." 

“Such endeavours need to be part of a broader reform of the international financial architecture to make more resources available for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” the ILO Director-General said.

Mr. Houngbo spoke about the Antalya Youth target of reducing the share of 15 per cent of the young people who are most at risk of being permanently left behind in the labour market by 2025.

He said to tackle gender inequality in particular, action must focus on promoting more and better employment for the youth by investing in economic sectors with high youth employment potential and improving the quality of employment to provide incentives for labour market participation.

The ILO Director-General also called for investments in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and quality apprenticeships, combining active labour market policies with income support, which are also very important to reach the most disadvantaged youth.

The Ministers discussed ways to address skills gaps so as to increase productivity and wages, but also the means to decrease workforce turnover and increase firms’ capabilities to innovate or deploy new technologies.

The ILO called for a common language on skills and qualifications to facilitate cross-country comparability and mutual recognition of skills.

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