1. The ILO Decent Work Indicators
An overview

2. Decent Work Agenda
From around 1980 the neo-liberal agenda promoted jobs growth through deregulation: ‘Any job is better than none’
From the late 1990s the ILO began to stress the importance of job quality and coined the term ‘Decent Work’

3. Decent Work
Is ‘work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men’. (ILO)

4. 4 pillars of the Decent Work Agenda
International labour standards and fundamental principles and rights at work
Employment creation
Social protection
Social dialogue and tripartism

5. Decent Work Statistical Indicators
18 ‘Main’ indicators; 25 ‘Additional’ indicators; 12 ‘Context’ indicators; and more
To cover all four pillars
Grouped in 10 elements

6. The 10 elements employment opportunities
adequate earnings and productive work
decent working time
combining work, family and personal life *
work that should be abolished
stability and security of work
equal opportunity and treatment in employment
safe work environment
social security
social dialogue, employers’ and workers’ representation
* Indicators yet to be developed by ILO, includes maternity protection indicator

7. Main DWIs: 10 elements & 4 pillars
I. International Labour Standards and Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
II. Employment creation
III. Social protection
IV. Social Dialogue
Indicators
(1) Employment to population ratio
(2) Working poverty rate
(10) Union density rate
(1) Unemployment rate
(2) Low pay rate
(10) Employer organisation density rate
(1) Youth (15-24) not in employment, education or training
(3) Excessive hours
(10) Collective bargaining coverage rate
(1) Informal employment rate
(5) Child labour
(10) Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
(8) Fatal occupational injury rate
(9) Population aged 65 and over with pension
(9) Public social security expenditure (% of GDP)
(6) Precarious employment rate
(7) Occupational segregation by sex
(7) Female share of employment in management
From the ICLS

8. Some Additional DW Indicators
4 pillars
I. International Labour Standards and Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
II. Employment creation
III. Social protection
IV. Social Dialogue
Indicators
(1) youth unemployment rate
(2) average real wages
(10) strikes and lockouts
(1) unemployment by level of education
(2) Minimum wage as % of median wage
(1) share of own-account workers in total employment
(3) Usual hours worked
(1) share of wage employment in non-agricultural employment
(3) Annual hours worked per employee
(3) Time-related underemployment rate
(5) Hazardous child labour
(8) Labour Inspection (Inspectors per 10,000 workers)
(9) Share of population covered by (basic) health care provision
(6) number and wages of casual/daily workers
(7) gender wage gap
(7) measures of discrimination by race/ ethnicity/ indigenous/ migrant/ rural workers
From the ICLS

9. Cross-cutting variables
Because gender equality cuts across the decent work agenda, it is recommended to disaggregate most variables by sex
For similar reasons, also by age group, education, and ethnicity for some variables

10. Economic and social context variables
Children not in school (% by age)
Estimated % of population HIV positive
Labour productivity (GDP per employed person, level and growth rate)
Income inequality (P90/P10 ratio, income or consumption)
Inflation rate (CPI)
Employment by branch of economic activity
Adult literacy rate; adult secondary school graduation rate
Labour share in GDP

11. Decent Work Indicators
Put the focus on the quality as well as the quantity of employment
Shine a light on inequality
Have a social protection dimension
OECD, IMF, World Bank also now recognise need to focus on quality as well as quantity of employment

12. ILO Manual has 257 pages ILO MANUAL GUIDELINES FOR PRODUCERS AND USERS
DECENT WORK INDICATORS
GUIDELINES FOR PRODUCERS AND USERS
OF STATISTICAL AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK INDICATORS
ILO MANUAL
Second version
December
Covers most but not all DWIs

13. But the Manual does not include
The ‘main’ statistical indicator on freedom of association and collective bargaining
Share of population covered by (basic) health insurance

14. Our task
To identify the DWIs that are used to measure and monitor progress on the SDGs, and To identify other DWIs that will be useful to the CMTU in collective bargaining with employers, and in social dialogue with government and employers to shape public policy