The Mercy Corps Ventures pilot detailed in this report was completed over three months at the start of 2021 to test whether digital stablecoins and mobile wallets could ease frictions and reduce costs in cross-border payments for un/underemployed youth completing microwork in Kenya, and the results are very promising.

The Freemuse State of Artistic Freedom Report 2022 shows the extent of attacks on artists and creative freedom in 2021 in numbers and infographics that illustrate the stark reality of the struggle for this right. They show the numbers of artists reported killed, imprisoned, brought to trial, attacked, and subjected to other forms of persecution. There is also a breakdown by region and by sector – music, film, and other art forms. 

The main goal of this paper is to review the state of the apparel and footwear industry as it relates to automation, employment and gender issues in context of the ILO-EU project “Building Partnerships on the Future of Work” project. The paper highlights the importance of the sector for women’s employment and the gendered nature of the industry; summarizes the literature on the effects of industrial automation and digitization on employment in the apparel and footwear industry, in particular their gender dimensions; and presents a brief overview of the apparel and footwear sector in the project countries, namely Germany, Indonesia, Mexico, Romania and Spain.

This report outlines the case for thinking beyond borders to achieve a sustainable, circular economy that matches environmental goals with social ambitions. It highlights key levers for governments and multilateral bodies, illustrating the benefits of a global, socially just approach to environmental, trade and development policies, and the risks of continuing along current policy pathways.

The Toolbox for Rural Youth Employment is a vital resource for enhancing employment opportunities in the agri-food sector and supporting rural development. This comprehensive guide offers a curated selection of effective tools and methodologies, with detailed instructions and practical examples demonstrating their application in various contexts. It also provides links to additional resources for a deeper understanding and effective implementation.

Can digital technologies enable new tourist experiences? How can tourist destinations and nation brands be constructed and promoted in the light of cultural industries and digital technologies? How can a territory and its brand be managed through digital technologies in the current context? How is tourism in Latin America and the Caribbean facing the challenge of economic recovery? The questions above—central to this publication—echo the report Vision 2025, Reinvest in the Americas: A Decade of Opportunity, of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which states that in the years to come, in order for the region to gain economic recovery, it will be necessary to invest in digitization and the rapid adoption of new technologies, while encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship as well as supporting SMEs.

This brief takes a closer look at the relationship between trade, employment and poverty reduction. Rather than being comprehensive on all aspects, it aims to give an evidence-based overview of some circumstances under which trade can lead to employment generation and poverty reduction that is relevant to Sida and its partners.

This report presents the results of the UNESCO-UNEVOC trends mapping study on progress and challenges in TVET teacher and trainer digital skills development before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study’s findings – in terms of data, policy trends and identification of good practice examples – offer guidance to governments and TVET institutions that wish to improve teachers’/trainers’ acquisition of digital skills, as well as their capacities and propensities to apply digital tools, services and technologies to deliver quality, learner-centred education and training.

The report highlights the achievements of Better Work, a program by the ILO and IFC, tackles challenges in the garment industry. It aims for good working conditions and business growth together. They work in 12 countries, helping factories follow labor laws and improve competitiveness. Their methods include assessments, training, and encouraging communication between workers,employers, and governments. Better Work's research shows positive impacts on workers' lives, businesses, and garment industry as a whole.

This S4YE Knowledge Brief highlights different ways in which youth employment projects in S4YE’s community of practice, the Impact Portfolio, a network of 44 high-potential and innovative youth employment projects, are using digital tools for M&E strategies and data collection methods.

As Europe goes through its green and digital transformations, high-quality vocational education and training (VET) is key to ensuring people have the right skills for the jobs of today and tomorrow. The Council Recommendation on VET for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience, adopted in November 2020, sets out the EU’s comprehensive vision and strategic objectives for the future of VET. This brochure outlines this vision and the importance of VET reforms at national level, including key principles and actions to support these reforms.

This World Bank report incorporates youth aspirations and employment module of High-Frequency Phone Surveys (HFPS) into multi-topic household surveys to present the differences in education and career aspirations across Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Malawi. The data collected is nationally representative, and age distribution is similar across countries. Understanding the aspirations and goals of the youth is expected to lead to the development of effective employment policies.

This report explores how to maximize the economic value of skills in a dynamic job market. It emphasizes that a skill's worth depends heavily on how well it complements other skills, particularly those in high demand. The value of any skill is also relative to the worker's existing skillset, with the greatest value often arising from combining skills from different areas. Focusing on Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills, the report finds them especially valuable due to their strong complementarity and rising demand, boosting worker wages by an average of 21%. These findings can inform policies and practices for digital reskilling initiatives.

This paper presents evidence on how social protection and especially non-contributory cash transfers impact on individuals and households in low- and middle-income countries. The paper provides guidance on what policies, programming and interventions have been considered effective for Sida’s objective of creating better living conditions for people living in poverty and oppression.

Millions of women are engaged in platform work around the world, both as workers and sellers. By better understanding women’s experiences on platforms, financial services providers (FSPs) and platforms can design solutions to help women maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of platform work. To shed light on the opportunities and challenges facing women platform workers, as well as to better understand their financial profile and need for financial services, CGAP conducted primary research with women platform workers and sellers.

To shed light on the opportunities and challenges facing women platform workers, as well as to better understand their financial profile and need for financial services, CGAP conducted primary research with women platform workers and sellers.

This report provides an overview of the laws and regulations that affect women’s economic opportunity in 190 economies. It presents eight indicators structured around women’s interactions with the law as they progress through their lives and careers: Mobility, Workplace, Pay, Marriage, Parenthood, Entrepreneurship, Assets, and Pension. Finally, the report identifies the barriers to women’s economic participation and encourages the reform of discriminatory laws.

The World Cities Culture Report 2022 is a unique research project, building on the ground-breaking 2015 and 2018 Reports and created with 40 partner cities, across six continents, over two years. Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 crisis, we gathered leaders working  in the urban realm to discuss the biggest challenges and opportunities facing our cities. Over eight months, we invited every city in the World Cities Culture Forum network to nominate leaders to speak with us about the specific challenges of their city, how they were meeting the needs of their communities and what more was needed. We interviewed 40 City Leaders – from artists to Youth Council members, cultural advisors to museum directors, community leaders to 24 hour Commissioners. We then worked with our partner cities to gather their case studies,  profiles and over 70 data indicators. Where possible, we looked at 2019  and 2021 data sets to help us build a picture of the short-term impacts  of Covid-19, as well as the wider story of culture in our cities.

This research reveals that 77 percent of young people in Asia Pacific aspire to get a green job within the next 10 years. For companies operating in Asia Pacific, this presents a huge opportunity to move rapidly toward their environmentally sustainable business outcomes. The challenge, however, is they need to start acting now to design the jobs that will attract motivated young people of a variety of skill levels.