The Maritime Labour Convention – or MLC, 2006 - is a living example of the central role that effective social dialogue plays in shaping labour standards in the maritime sector. This episode of the Future of Work podcast explores why the MLC is a success and what we can learn from it. Guests include Mark Dickinson, the Seafarers’ spokesperson, ILO Special Tripartite Committee of the Maritime Labour Convention and Vice Chair of the Seafarers’ Section at the International Transport Workers’ Federat...
Jun 10, 2025•Ep. 73
This Future of Work podcast, recorded live from the 113th International Labour Conference, examines the key issues on the agenda of the upcoming Second World Summit for Social Development in November 2025, in light of the current global context and the challenges facing multilateralism. Guests include Claire Courteille-Mulder and Shahra Razavi from the ILO, and Adriana Rodrigues Martins from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federative Republic of Brazil.
Jun 09, 2025•Ep. 72
This Future of Work podcast, recorded at the 113th International Labour Conference, looks at how to speed up progress on Sustainable Development Goal 8. Representatives of government, employers and workers discuss what’s needed to get decent work and inclusive growth back on track. The guests are Sangheon Lee, Director of the ILO's Employment Policy Department; Roberto Suárez Santos, Secretary-General of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE); Carmela I. Torres, Undersecretary of the ...
Jun 06, 2025•Ep. 71
As the world moves towards greener economies, the global shift to renewable energy and climate-resilient development raises urgent questions about fairness, inclusion and jobs. This Future of Work podcast explores how governments can lead just transitions—ensuring that the move to low-carbon economies creates decent work, protects vulnerable workers and communities, and leaves no one behind. Podcast guests are Ali Aybey, Director-General of Foreign Affairs and EU in Türkiye's Ministry of Labour ...
Jun 05, 2025•Ep. 70
This episode of the Future of Work podcast, recorded live at the 113th International Labour Conference, explores how digitalization and artificial intelligence are reshaping the world of work. Building on some of the latest ILO research and analysis, the podcast looks at policy recommendations and the ILO’s role in promoting inclusive digital transformation, ensuring that no one is left behind. Guests are ILO Senior Researcher Pawel Gmyrek and Manal Azzi, ILO Team Lead for Occupational Safety an...
Jun 04, 2025•Ep. 69
In this episode of the ILO’s Future of Work podcast, recorded live from the 113th International Labour Conference in Geneva, we explore how workers’ and employers’ organizations are working hand-in-hand with over 16 partner organizations worldwide — including in the Philippines — to promote green jobs, strengthen social dialogue, and build more resilient, inclusive economies. Guests include Ariel Castro from the ILO Bureau for Workers' Activities, Laura Greene from the ILO Bureau for Employers' ...
Jun 03, 2025•Ep. 68
Can artificial intelligence, robots and surveillance protect workers on the job? Yes, according to the latest report from the International Labour Organization. In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, ILO occupational safety and health expert Manal Azzi explains how AI and technology is being used as a safety net, and not a threat, for workers worldwide.
Apr 24, 2025•Ep. 67
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, 2025•Ep. 66
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, 2025•Ep. 65
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, 2024•Ep. 64
How can social protection help those most vulnerable to the worst impacts of climate change? To discuss the issue, we are joined by Kumi Naidoo, a longtime human rights and climate justice activist, and Shahra Razavi, Director of the ILO’s Universal Social Protection department.
Oct 08, 2024•Ep. 63
According to a new ILO report, youth unemployment figures have recovered to pre-pandemic levels, but, in apparent contradiction, young people worldwide are reporting growing anxiety and worry about unemployment and job security. So, what’s the real situation for young people entering the labour market?
Sep 19, 2024•Ep. 62
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, 2024•Ep. 61
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, 2024•Ep. 60
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, 2024•Ep. 59
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, 2024•Ep. 58
Ahead of the opening of the 112th International Labour Conference on June 3, the ILO’s Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo joins the Future of Work podcast to explain the key social and labour issues on the conference agenda, and why they matter in light of the state of our world today.
May 31, 2024•Ep. 57
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, 2024•Ep. 56
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, 2024•Ep. 55
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, 2024•Ep. 54
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, 2024•Ep. 53
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, 2024•Ep. 52
The ILO's Future of Work podcast looks at trends in digital technologies and their regulation in China, and explores what impact this is having on the country's world of work.
Nov 14, 2023•Ep. 51
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, 2023•Ep. 50
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, 2023•Ep. 49
The effects of Generative AI on employment creation and destruction are much discussed, but what will the effects be on job quality, and where will those effects be felt most?
Oct 04, 2023•Ep. 48
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, 2023•Ep. 47
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, 2023•Ep. 46
Green jobs can help tackle the climate crisis and the labour market challenges faced by young people. So what exactly are green jobs? And what can young people do to create a sustainable future for themselves?
Aug 10, 2023•Ep. 45
Global crises, conflicts, socio-economic inequalities, migration and the climate emergency are increasing the risk of human trafficking. What can be done, and by whom, to counter this threat?
Jul 28, 2023•Ep. 44
