Diagnostics

This report, by the IDB, OECD and UNESCO, outlines current knowledge of the impact that AI systems have on women’s opportunities for work, and their position, treatment and status in the workforce. It does so by exploring how AI is used within and outside the workplace, and how it could be used in the future. It looks at the potential impact of new and emerging AI technologies on the skills that employers will require, on how women look for and are hired for jobs, and on how jobs are structured through automated monitoring and oversight.

The report reveals a complex global employment scenario. It forecasts a slight increase in global unemployment in 2024, signalling emerging labour market challenges. The report highlights disparities between high and low-income countries, noting higher unemployment and poverty rates in lower-income nations. It also points out that a significant portion of the global workforce remains in informal employment.

This book talks about Africa's massive informal economy, the main source of jobs in the region, is expected to keep growing. Despite its established presence, challenges abound. Low productivity, limited resources, and vulnerability to shocks plague this sector. Informal workers, especially women, often lack access to social safety nets and financial tools. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed these vulnerabilities, prompting governments to utilize technology and innovation to deliver social protection programs and support economic recovery, particularly in urban areas.

This report aggregates extensive solid waste data at the national and urban levels. It estimates and projects waste generation to 2030 and 2050. Beyond the core data metrics from waste generation to disposal, the report provides information on waste management costs, revenues, and tariffs; special wastes; regulations; public communication; administrative and operational models; and the informal sector.

This report proposes a new approach to tackling plastic pollution. It focuses on empowering informal waste recovery systems (IWRS) and their workers. These workers, often overlooked, possess valuable skills and knowledge in waste collection. The report argues that current solutions often exclude them, harming their livelihoods and hindering waste management. Instead, it proposes using resources to support a smooth transition for these workers and their communities,essentially bringing them into the fold as key players in solving plastic pollution.

The Informal Economy Monitoring Study (IEMS) is designed to provide in-depth understanding of how informal workers are affected by and respond to economic trends, urban policies and practices, value chain dynamics, and other economic and social forces.

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 polici

The report identfies areas of opportunity to improve insurance schemes for the self-employed in Latin America, and uses the case of gig economy workers (from interviews with platforms such as Workana, DiDi, and Beat) to identify a new category of workers that often lack social protection.

This Note is part of the Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) Knowledge Brief series that focuses on integrating a youth employment dimension and identifying opportunities in emerging sectors. Building upon S4YE’s Discussion Note on the Circular Economy, which aims to integrate the jobs agenda within the environment agenda, and the World Bank publication, "What a Waste 2.0”, this note focuses specifically on the waste sector.

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.