India, ILO ink pact to boost global employment opportunities

• The Indian government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) for collaboration to develop ‘International Reference Classification of Occupations’. 

• The MoU will facilitate youth in availing global employment opportunities.

• Significant skill shortages are being faced by many countries due to demographic deficits and digitalisation. 

• In order to fill these skill gaps, the G20 leaders during India’s Presidency in 2023 committed to working towards ensuring well-managed, regular and skills-based migration pathways. 

• To this end, they endorsed the development of International Reference Classification of Occupations by skill and qualification requirements.

• The agreement will help Indian workers to seamlessly integrate into global labour markets. 

• It reinforces India’s vision of becoming not just the skill capital of the world, but also a trusted source of talent for countries facing workforce shortages.

• This initiative has the potential of not only enhancing the global competitiveness of Indian graduates but also positioning India as an international hub for high quality, future-ready education and skilling.

International Labour Organisation

• The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is the United Nations agency for the world of work. It sets international labour standards, promotes rights at work and encourages decent employment opportunities, the enhancement of social protection and the strengthening of dialogue on work-related issues. 

• The ILO was founded in 1919 as part of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I, to pursue a vision based on the premise that universal, lasting peace can be established only if it is based on social justice. 

• The ILO became the first specialised agency of the United Nations in 1946.

• It is the only tripartite UN agency with government, employer, and worker representatives. This tripartite structure makes the ILO a unique forum in which the governments and the social partners of the economy of its Member States can freely and openly debate and elaborate labour standards and policies.

Member States

• The ILO comprises 187 Member States. In addition to the States which were Members of the ILO on November 1, 1945, any original member of the United Nations and any State admitted to membership of the United Nations by a decision of the General Assembly may become a Member of the ILO by communicating to the Director-General its formal acceptance of the obligations of the Constitution of the organisation.

• The General Conference of the ILO may also admit members to the organisation by a vote of two-thirds of the delegates attending the session, including two-thirds of the government delegates present and voting.

• The ILO’s Secretariat has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and a global network of technical experts and field offices in more than 40 countries.

• The International Labour Conference (ILC) meets once a year to adopt new international labour standards and to approve the ILO’s work plan and budget.

• The Governing Body is the executive council of the ILO and meets three times a year in Geneva.

• India, a founding member of the ILO, has been a permanent member of the ILO Governing Body since 1922. The first ILO Office in India started in 1928. 

Objectives of ILO:

• Creating jobs: Promoting economies that generate opportunities for investment, entrepreneurship, skills development, job creation and sustainable livelihoods. 

• Guaranteeing rights at work: Obtaining recognition and respect for the rights of workers. All workers, and in particular disadvantaged or poor workers, need representation, participation and laws that protect their rights.

• Extending social protection: Ensuring that women and men enjoy working conditions that are safe, allow adequate free time and rest, take into account family and social values, provide for adequate compensation in case of lost or reduced income and permit access to adequate health care.

• Promoting social dialogue: Strong and independent workers’ and employers’ organisations are central to increasing productivity, avoiding disputes at work and building cohesive societies.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)