20th ICLS to propose better ways to create data for the future of work

The new tools will also support the ILO’s Future of Work Initiative because they will capture new and up-to-date information on emerging types of work relationships and skills requirements.

The 20th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) will meet in Geneva from 10-19 October to undertake a major revision of the way labour statistics are collated and presented.

The Conference will make recommendations on new international standards to be approved by the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Governing Body. These are expected to include:

• Revision of the International Classification of Status in Employment to take account of new types of work relationships and informal work.
• Launch of new tools to update and present statistics on work, employment and labour underutilization.
• New statistical guidelines for measuring labour migration, forced labour and skills mismatches.
• Defining indicators to monitor decent work, in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals Agenda 2030.
• The ICLS work is intended to meet the call made in the 2030 Agenda for a "data revolution" that finds new ways to collect data and make it more accessible, in particular by providing tools to measure new criteria for work, employment and labour underutilization.

The new tools will also support the ILO's Future of Work Initiative because they will capture new and up-to-date information on emerging types of work relationships and skills requirements.

First held in 1923, ICLS is the recognized global standard-setting body in the area of labour statistics. It is convened approximately every five years by the ILO.

Participants include experts from governments, mostly representing labour ministries and national statistical offices, as well as from employers' and workers' organizations. Observers come from international and regional organizations and other interest groups.