It’s 8:30 am, a school day and there are 20 ten-year olds waiting excitedly for the game to begin. Their chatter echoes across the high-walled school gymnasium. They ooh and aah, and point at an enormous colourful carpet laid out in front of them.
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Author Archives: ILO Blog
Building the next generation in occupational safety and health
One of the most gratifying aspects of my job with the ILO in Geneva is getting to see how our work directly supports advocates for safe and healthy work conditions at national levels. Last month, I was in Latin America talking with young workers and employers about occupational safety and health (OSH) issues, in preparation for SafeDay 2018. This year, SafeDay is focused on improving workplace safety and health for young workers aged 15-24, who suffer a disproportionately high rate of on-the-job injuries. The visit provided a glimpse into the work of ILO partners devoted to ensuring labour rights and improving workers’ lives.
On-demand … and organized!
Pick up a magazine, access a blog or scroll through your Facebook feed, and you’re likely to see some reference to the gig economy. From Uber advertisements to advice on how to thrive – or avoid pitfalls – in the gig economy, digital labour platforms have made a bold entrance into the world of work.
Web-based platforms harness technology to connect workers with one-off, on-demand jobs, or ‘gigs’. While some see on-demand work as a way to improve efficiency for firms and create more flexible earning opportunities for workers, the gig economy has also been associated with unstable earnings, unpredictable scheduling and poor opportunities for development and advancement for workers, as well as a source of unfair competition for companies.
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