This Short Note is part of a series building on the report Working without Borders: The Promise and Peril of Online Gig Work. While local/regional platforms may not have received as much attention as global platforms, they play an important role for the local labor market and the local private sector ecosystem in many developing countries. This note addresses the following questions: What are the distinguishing features of local/regional gig online platforms, compared to global ones? What role can local/regional online platforms play on both the supply side (in supporting inclusion in developing countries) as well on the demand side (in addressing needs of local firms)? What challenges do local/regional platforms face in building a sustainable business model, and how can these challenges be addressed?.
This Short Note is part of a series building on the report Working without Borders: The Promise and Peril of Online Gig Work. flexibility of working hours and location associated with online gig work uniquely positions it as an avenue to boost female labor force participation, especially in regions with limited local job opportunities. This short note takes a deep dive into gender-based disparities in access to these new forms of work, especially asking whether there is a gender gap in hourly rates that online gig workers ask for and earn from online tasks. The analysis uses data from over 19,000 profiles on one of the largest English-language freelancing platforms. Data from one of the largest global freelancing platforms shows that women quote approximately 10 percent lower hourly rates than men, likely reflecting a difference in confidence.
This document outlines how Duolingo is utilizing AI to support education for refugees.
This paper documents near-exponential growth in the demand for artificial intelligence (AI)-related skills in India’s services sector since 2016, using a new dataset of online vacancies from its largest jobs website. It evaluates the impact of demand for AI skills on establishment-level non-AI postings in the short term using an event study, and medium term using a shiftshare design that exploits variation in exposure to new AI inventions.
This S4YE Discussion Note explores the role of the blue economy, especially fisheries, as a source of productive and sustainable jobs for youth. The research discusses the importance of understanding how the blue economy is changing in response to trends in technological innovation, environmental concerns, and the move towards a circular economy. Finally, the note discusses four main types of policy interventions that can help support job opportunities for youth in ocean-based industries: 1) deepening youth employment data analysis, 2) closing blue skills gaps, 3) improving the attractiveness and awareness of blue careers among youth; and 4) promoting youth entrepreneurship and innovation in blue economy sectors.
As societies become increasingly digital, cyber security has become a priority for individuals, companies and nations. The number of cyber attacks is exceeding defence capabilities, and one reason for this is the lack of an adequately skilled cyber security workforce. This report analyses the demand for cyber security professionals in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States using information contained in online job postings. The analysis looks at recent trends in the demand for workers in different types of cyber security roles, the geographical distribution of cyber security job postings, and the changing skill requirements for professionals in this field. The report also looks at the supply side, zooming in on the landscape of cyber security education and training programmes in England (United Kingdom). It describes the different types of programmes provided in further and higher education, the profile of learners in these programmes and their outcomes. Finally, the report also looks at policies and initiatives adopted in England to make cyber security education and training programmes more accessible and relevant. This report is part of a larger initiative examining the evolution of policies and experiences in the cyber security profession around the world.
This paper assesses the reliability and validity of cognitive and socioemotional skills measures and investigates the correlation between schooling, skills acquisition, and labor earnings. The primary data from Pakistan incorporates two innovations related to measurement and sampling. On measurement, the paper develops and implements a battery of instruments intended to capture cognitive and socioemotional skills among young adults. On sampling, the paper uses a panel that follows respondents from their original rural locations in 2003 to their residences in 2018, a period over which 38 percent of the respondents left their native villages. In terms of their validity and reliability, our skills measures compare favorably to previous measurement attempts in low- and middle-income countries. The following are documented in the data: (a) more years of schooling are correlated with higher cognitive and socioemotional skills; (b) labor earnings are correlated with cognitive and socioemotional skills as well as years of schooling; and (c) the earnings-skills correlations depend on respondents’ migration status. The magnitudes of the correlations between schooling and skills on the one hand and earnings and skills on the other are consistent with a widespread concern that such skills are underproduced in the schooling system.
Discover the fastest-growing skills with the new Job Skills of 2024 Report from Coursera. This data-rich report draws on skills data from Coursera’s nearly 5 million enterprise learners across 3,000 businesses, 3,600 higher education institutions, and governments in over 100 countries.
Since 2018, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has been promoting the sector cultural and creative industries (CCI) through its implementing organisations Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Goethe-Institut. This future oriented sector offers important levers for the implementation of a feminist development policy, which is a priority of the BMZ. Almost half of employees in the CCI sector are women but they often work under precarious conditions. The sector offers the potential to contribute to gender equality in terms of necessary improvements for women and of working conditions.
The cultural organizations and events considered in this policy brief are those whose mission and activities are aimed at disseminating and broadening access to a diversity of cultural expressions. They include, among others, cultural centres, festivals, book fairs, bookshops and libraries, theatres, cinemas, performance venues, broadcasters, and online cultural platforms. Individually and collectively, these organizations and events contribute significantly to the achievement of Article 7 of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, which urges Parties to foster an environment that encourages individuals and social groups to provide “access to diverse cultural expressions from within their territory as well as from other countries of the world.” Whether they belong to the public, private or associative sector, these organizations and cultural events spearhead innovative practices, which makes them strategic allies in achieving the objectives of the 2005 Convention.
Cultural and creative sectors are a significant driver of local development both through direct job creation and income generation but also indirectly by spurring innovation across the economy. Beyond their economic impacts, they also have significant social impacts, from supporting health and wellbeing to promoting social inclusion and local social capital. Flanders (Belgium) has placed cultural and creative sectors as a priority in the region’s economic and social strategy. This paper provides an overview of cultural and creative sectors in Flanders, highlighting trends in employment, business dynamics, entrepreneurship and financing as well as cultural participation. It offers analysis and recommendations to support the region in continuing to build on its local cultural and creative ecosystem.
This case study offers a review of cultural and creative sectors in Lithuania, highlighting issues and trends in employment and business development, financing and cultural participation. It brings a specific focus on three municipalities within the County of Klaipėda located on the Baltic coast – Klaipėda City, Neringa and Palanga – small cities specialised in port activities, logistics, traditional manufacturing and seaside resort tourism. It highlights how culture and creative sectors can be leveraged to foster local development, diversify the economy and strengthen territorial attractiveness. It provides recommendations and international examples on ways to support business development in creative sectors and to strengthen synergies between culture and tourism.
This study represents the culmination of extensive research and the findings from twenty interviews with experts specialized in media freedom, artistic freedom, the protection of human rights defenders and artists. It provides a comparison of the protective frameworks and mechanisms in place to defend the rights of journalists and artists in times of emergency. The ultimate goal of the study is to encourage synergies between artists and journalists, and the communities that work towards their safety. It suggests concrete action to expand protection for artists’ safety in crises, learning lessons from the advanced movement for the protection of journalists; all while highlighting ways in which collaboration could be of benefit to both the advocacy communities focused, respectively, on artistic and on media freedom.
Digital Africa, Technological Transformation for Jobs examines pathways to produce and promote the expanded use of affordable and attractive digital technologies (DTs) that are appropriate for Sub-Saharan Africa’s growing workforce and facilitate continued learning through use. DTs are defined broadly to include digital and data infrastructure, broadband internet, smartphones, tablets, and computers. They also include more specialized productivity-enhancing solutions, such as management upgrading, worker training, procurement, marketing, logistics, financing, and insurance.
In an increasingly interconnected world driven by rapid technological advancements, the nature of work is undergoing significant transformations. The rise of digital platforms and technologies has ushered in a new era of digital employment, offering both opportunities and challenges. The International Labour Organization (ILO) recognizes the crucial need to understand and navigate the complexities of digital employment. ILO has developed these guidelines on digital employment diagnostics.
As part of the Cultural and Creative Industries project, the Goethe-Institut and Africa Beyond 4IR (AB4IR), a non-profit organisation that aims to bridge the digital and gender gaps in access to technology in South African townships, co-developed Drone Divas. The four-to-six-week Drone Divas training is a very successful collaboration between the training organisation and the private sector as internships form an integral part of the programme. Women learn how to operate drones with applications in many creative fields such as photography, cinematography, architecture, and also agriculture, tourism, research and science. The curriculum provides hands-on training in drone operation, programming, filming, 3D modelling, and an introduction to entrepreneurship, including the modules Design Thinking and Business Model Canvas. Afterwards, the top ten participants complete a three-month internship with a company specialised in drone operation services.
Protest in the gig economy has taken many forms and targets (platforms, customers and state officials). However, researchers are yet to adequately account for this diversity. This study uses a European survey of Upwork and PeoplePerHour platform workers to investigate worker orientation towards different forms of protest.
Acknowledging the growing importance of generative AI in research and practical applications, including its use to solve international development challenges, this report provides a comprehensive overview of generative AI, introduces the basics, explains its development over time, and examines its types and applications.
The ILO and Learning Lions are bridging the digital divide in remote areas by providing comprehensive digital skills training, mentorship and job opportunities to young people. This innovative program is transforming the lives of vulnerable communities, including refugees, and paving the way for an inclusive digital economy in Kenya.
This paper examines the productivity effects of a generative artificial intelligence technology—the assistive chatbot ChatGPT—in the context of mid-level professional writing tasks
