International Labour Organization (ILO) has made a 10-point recommendation including a universal labour guarantee to address the challenges caused by unprecedented transformational change in the world of work.
ILO in its latest report on 'Global Commission on the Future of Work' launched on Tuesday at its 100th anniversary celebration ceremony in Geneva also called on governments to commit to the set of measures in this regard.
"Countless opportunities lie ahead to improve the quality of working lives, expand choice, close the gender gap, reverse the damages wreaked by global inequality. Yet none of this will happen by itself. Without decisive action we will be sleepwalking into a world that widens existing inequalities and uncertainties," the report said.
It has outlined the challenges caused by new technology, climate change, and demography and called for a collective global response to the disruptions they are causing in the world of work.
Artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics will lead to job losses as skills become obsolete, it said, adding that these same technological advances along with the greening of economies will also create millions of jobs if new opportunities are seized.
"The issues highlighted in this report matter to people everywhere and to the planet," ILO director general Guy Ryder said.
"They may be challenging but we ignore them at our peril." The ILO's mandate, bringing together governments, employers and workers from all parts of the world, means the organisation is well suited to act as a compass and a guide in order to help open up new vistas for coming generations at work, he added.
Like other emerging economies, Bangladesh has its own unique challenges and priorities and the ILO stands ready to support the nation on its quest to equitable and human-centric growth, ILO Bangladesh country director Tuomo Poutiainen said in a separate statement.
"Globally, we are experiencing major changes in the workplace with the advent of new technologies, the 'gig' economy and the adverse impact of climate change on production and employment."
He added: "We should not see this as a threat but an opportunity to further promote decent work and equal opportunities. The private sector, the workforce and Bangladesh's youth all play a vital role in this period of change to ensure that everyone reaps the greatest social and economic benefits. Ultimately, technology does not shape us but we harness it to shape the future of work."
The ILO is working closely with the Bangladesh government, workers groups, and employers to build up skills and maintain employability, promote a safe working environment, support fundamental rights and dignity at work and enhance economic security and equal opportunity.
He also expressed the hope that the latest report could provide a basis for the delivery of social justice -- for all -- in the 21st century.
The report recommended a universal labour guarantee that protects fundamental workers' rights, an adequate living wage, limits on hours of work and safe and healthy workplaces and guaranteed social protection from birth to old age that supports people's needs over the life cycle.
A universal entitlement to lifelong learning that enables people to skill, re-skill and upskill.
It also stressed the need for managing technological change to boost decent work, including an international governance system for digital labour platforms, greater investments in the care, green and rural economies and a transformative and measurable agenda for gender equality.
The other recommendations included reshaping business incentives to encourage long-term investments.
The report has also highlighted the 'unique role' the ILO should play in the development and delivery of the 'human-centred economic agenda' in the international system and called on the organisation to give urgent attention to the implementation of the report's recommendations.
The report was the culmination of a 15-month examination by the 27-member commission, which is made up of leading figures from business and labour, think tanks, academia, government and non-governmental organisations.
munni_fe@yahoo.com