Are young people overskilled or underskilled?

Paul Comyn and Drew Gardiner

Paul Comyn, ILO Senior Vocational Skills and Development Specialist and Drew Gardiner, Youth Employment Specialist

This week, as we prepare ILO’s participation in the World Skills Competition 2017, taking place in Abu Dhabi, UAE from 15-18 October, we are left to reflect on a major theme which is troubling governments, employers, workers and young people across the globe – the so called skills mismatch.

This year’s World Skills Competition features 1,300 competitors, 100,000 visitors and 51 skills. The competition will cover a diverse range of vocational categories including mechatronics, information network cabling, floor tiling, patisserie, and plumbing just to name a few.

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The World of Work at the heart of WTO’s Public Forum 2017

Thoralf Stenvold

Thoralf Stenvold
Special Project Officer, ILO Department of Multilateral Cooperation

The World Trade Organization’s Public Forum is the WTO’s annual gathering for policymakers, academics, civil society and anyone with an interest or a stake in global trade and trade policy. This year’s forum, held at WTO headquarters in Geneva 26-28 September, was all about jobs, reflected also in the World Trade Report launched there, entitled “Trade, Technology and Jobs”. The ILO played an active role, speaking at five panels, including two by Deputy Director General Deborah Greenfield.

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5 ways governments can support agriculture insurance

Pranav Prashad

Pranav Prashad,
Technical Expert, ILO Impact Insurance Facility

Agriculture provides jobs to 1.3 billion people, which is close to 40 per cent of global employment, most of them working poor. Agricultural insurance can play an important role in securing farmers’ livelihoods and boosting the efficiency of the agricultural sector, but access to agricultural insurance remains low.

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