The Future of Work Podcast - podcast cover

The Future of Work Podcast

International Labour Organizationvoices.ilo.org
Take a fascinating journey into the Future of Work with the latest podcasts from the International Labour Organization - the UN Agency for the World of Work. Listen to experts on how the rapidly changing world of work is affecting you. Go to workplaces you never knew existed and hear stories that touch all our working lives. The ILO Future of Work podcast opens up the world of work, helping you to navigate and shape the future you want.

Episodes

The impact of generative AI on jobs in Latin America

Generative AI is transforming jobs in Latin America, but who benefits, and who gets left behind? Pawel Gmyrek from the ILO and Hernan Winkler from the World Bank join the Future of Work podcast to discuss their research, exploring how AI is reshaping work and its implications for inequality.

Jan 27, 2025Ep. 66

Global employment trends: Challenges and opportunities for 2025

Ekkehard Ernst, author of the ILO report: "World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2025", joins the Future of Work podcast to discuss how geopolitical tensions, climate change, artificial intelligence, and inequalities are affecting global labour markets.

Jan 20, 2025Ep. 65

Industrial symbiosis: an engine for green jobs and growth?

Industrial symbiosis is an approach to the circular economy through which businesses work together to utilize waste and by-products created by their processes in existing and new products, so saving resources and energy. Sabrina de Gobbi, ILO Senior Economist, joins the podcast to discuss what potential it has to ‘green’ economies and how we can ensure that the jobs it creates are decent.

Nov 14, 2024Ep. 64

The Paralympics: what are the challenges facing athletes with disabilities?

Competing at the Paralympics requires extraordinary time and dedication, so how do Paralympic athletes balance the demands of sporting excellence with earning a living? To discuss this the ILO’s Future of Work podcast is joined by the former Paralympian, Josh Vander Vies and the ILO's expert on athletes and rights at work, Oliver Liang.

Sep 02, 2024Ep. 61

Paris 2024 – Creating social change through a decent work Olympics

The Olympic and Paralympic games are not just major a sporting festival, they are also a massive procurement, construction and employment project. This year, the Paris Games adopted a Social Charter, which links the entire games delivery process with social goals that are inspired by the ILO's decent work agenda.

Jul 29, 2024Ep. 60

Want to be an entrepreneur? How to do it right

Running your own business can be a dream, a route to independence and a way out of poverty. But successful entrepreneurship isn’t easy, without the right skills and knowledge. An ILO programme - Start and Improve your Business (SIYB) – is helping to bridge that gap and has already helped tens of millions of people become entrepreneurs. Luisa Iachan, ILO Technical Officer on Inclusive Markets and Entrepreneurship Promotion, and South African entrepreneur and SIYB graduate Ngoakwana Seleka share t...

Jun 27, 2024Ep. 59

Heat: a silent killer at work

The rising temperatures associated with climate change mean more people are experiencing heat stress at work, with potentially fatal consequences. ILO Occupational Safety and Health specialists, Manal Azzi and Halshka Graczyk join the ILO’s Future of Work podcast to discuss what is being done to protect workers from the effects of excessive heat.

Jun 05, 2024Ep. 58

How can macroeconomics answer the call for greater social justice?

In this Future of Work podcast, the ILO’s Richard Samans and economic historian Lord Robert Skidelsky discuss how we can begin to transform macroeconomics to deal more effectively with ongoing challenges to social justice, such as inequality, underemployment, precarity and environmental degradation.

May 06, 2024Ep. 56

Who’s making money from forced labour?

Forced labour is not just a brutal abuse of fundamental human rights, but it also generates hundreds of billions of dollars in criminal business profits, according to a new ILO report. We discuss the issue with the report's co-author Michaëlle de Cock and Anousheh Karvar, the French government delegate to the ILO.

Apr 30, 2024Ep. 55

How young refugees are using skills and entrepreneurship to find independence

For many young people finding that first job can be hard. For those who are also refugees it can seem like an insurmountable challenge. We talk to Mashimbo Rose Nafisa and Joel Amani Mafigi, two young refugees in Uganda who have overcome this problem and are now helping other young people do the same.

Apr 16, 2024Ep. 54

The social justice challenge for African youth

February 20th is World Day of Social Justice on the UN calendar. But what is social justice? Why does it matter for the youth in Africa? Discover what the youth believe are the solutions Africa's social injustices and listen to what they say they need to realize their dreams, in their own words.

Feb 20, 2024Ep. 53

Is Generative AI the answer to low productivity?

New research shows that Generative AI tools can substantially increase productivity in certain mid and high-skilled work, like for instance in science, technology, and engineering. So what does this mean for employment, skills and wages?

Jan 05, 2024Ep. 52

Should we treat the care economy as an investment or a cost?

Demand for care already outstrips supply and is expected to increase significantly in the future. Now, new ILO research suggests that spending on care – particularly childcare – could bring a return on investment of more than 3-to-1.

Oct 26, 2023Ep. 50

Workplace mental health: It’s ok not to be ok

One in five employees will experience mental illness in their lifetime. Find out in the ILO Future of Work podcast, the four steps that employers can take to minimise workplace mental health stresses.

Oct 10, 2023Ep. 49

Should retirement be retired? The pros and cons of older workers

The global population is getting older. At the same time employers complain they can’t find the workers or skills they need, and governments worry about funding health care and social protection. On International Day for Older Persons (1 October) we look at whether keeping people in the workforce longer could be an answer.

Sep 29, 2023Ep. 47

The value of free money

How would you react to being given money on a regular basis, with no strings attached? And how might this change you, your family or the wider community? This is the question faced by the Kenyan village of Kogutu after being chosen as a location for the largest ever experiment in Universal Basic Income. Filmmakers Lauren DeFilippo and Sam Soko spent five years chronicling the dramatic impact of this experiment on the lives of these villagers to answer the question: is UBI the answer to end world...

Sep 20, 2023Ep. 46

Does Artificial Intelligence threaten decent work?

The world of work has always been shaped by technology, but the new generation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has raised fears that it could destroy tens of millions of jobs, and undermine progress towards decent work and greater social justice.

Jul 19, 2023Ep. 43

Heat stress – how are we going to live with it?

The summer of 2023 is recording some of the highest temperature on record, for our entire planet. This has enormous consequences for the world of work – regulators and businesses as well as workers. How can we adapt?

Jul 18, 2023Ep. 42

Is domestic work care work?

Following the COVID-19 pandemic many countries are re-evaluating the status, pay and conditions of their care workers. So, why are domestic workers, whose work often includes care, often being left out of this process?

Jun 16, 2023Ep. 41

When race holds you back in the workplace

While overt racism in the workplace may be a thing of the past, systemic racism, microaggressions and biases mean it is far from being a level playing field, say the guests of the latest Future of Work podcast.

May 24, 2023Ep. 39