ILO Launches LIFT Digital Tool to Transform Global Labour Inspection Systems

The tool marks a major step toward fully digital, data-driven labour inspection and represents a transformative leap in transparency, efficiency, and oversight across global supply chains.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is accelerating the modernization of labour inspection systems worldwide with the rollout of LIFT – Labour Inspectorates and the Future of Technology, a cloud-based digital case management tool designed to replace traditional paper-based processes. The tool marks a major step toward fully digital, data-driven labour inspection and represents a transformative leap in transparency, efficiency, and oversight across global supply chains.

LIFT allows labour inspectorates to digitize planning, monitoring, inspection, enforcement, and reporting, providing governments with real-time visibility into workplace conditions and compliance trends. The initiative is part of the ILO’s broader mission to strengthen national inspection systems and promote decent work, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where paper-based systems remain the norm.

A Core Innovation: Oversight Across Entire Supply Chains

Unlike earlier tools that focused solely on individual enterprises, LIFT introduces a groundbreaking supply chain visibility feature. By connecting contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers within a single digital database, LIFT enables inspectorates to:

• Identify networks of related enterprises

• Detect patterns of non-compliance across multiple tiers

• Classify enterprises by size, location, sector, and inspection history

• Assess systemic labour risks across supply chains

This marks a major advancement in labour governance—especially in sectors with complex subcontracting structures such as construction, manufacturing, agriculture, apparel production, and mining.

Early Pilots: Five African Countries Digitize Labour Inspection

Between 2024 and 2025, LIFT was piloted in:

• Madagascar

• Eswatini

• Lesotho

• Zambia

• Zanzibar

These pilots enabled inspectorates to create their first-ever consolidated digital registries, integrating enterprise profiles, inspection findings, compliance records, and geographical mapping—all via a cloud-based system.

Across these countries, LIFT has already digitized inspection data on more than 3,900 economic units, spanning key sectors:

• Construction

• Manufacturing

• Agriculture

• Food processing

• Retail and services

Transforming Daily Work for Labour Inspectors

Inspectors in Eswatini report dramatic improvements in efficiency and oversight.

Kingdom Mbuso M. Mamba, Acting Commissioner of Labour, noted:

“The LIFT system has helped us maintain a registry of all establishments in Eswatini, categorized by sector, size and geographic location. Inspectors now have full oversight of establishments in their regions. The system has significantly reduced time previously spent searching for files—everything is now at our fingertips.”

Across pilot countries, inspectors say:

• Site selection for inspections is more strategic

• Repeat violations are easier to detect

• Regional coverage has improved

• Inspectors spend less time on administrative tasks and more time in the field

Insights From the Data: MSMEs and Gender Patterns

Early data from Madagascar and Eswatini reveal important insights into enterprise structure and workforce composition:

• Over 70% of registered enterprises are micro or small businesses, groups traditionally overlooked by inspection systems.

• Gender distribution varies by enterprise size:

  • Women represent 20% of workers in micro/small enterprises

  • Women represent 60% of workers in large enterprises, particularly in manufacturing

These findings will help policymakers and social partners design gender-responsive and MSME-focused strategies to promote decent work—especially in supply chains where women often face higher risks of exploitation.

Aligning With Global Labour Standards

As rollout continues, inspectorates will be able to generate detailed, international-standard labour inspection statistics, including:

• Inspection coverage and frequency

• Types and severity of violations

• Gender patterns in compliance

• Corrective actions and follow-up

• Risk profiles by sector or supply chain tier

These metrics align with the ILO Guide on the Harmonization of Labour Inspection Statistics, supporting global comparability and transparency.

Next Steps: A Global Expansion Plan

Building on early successes, the ILO plans to expand LIFT implementation across:

• The Caribbean

• Asia and the Pacific

• Africa

during 2026–2027, with additional countries expressing interest in adopting the system.

Future phases aim to:

• Enhance mobile inspection features

• Integrate AI-driven risk assessment

• Improve cross-border supply chain visibility

• Support digital training for inspectors

• Strengthen collaboration among labour ministries, employer groups, and unions

A Major Step Toward Global Decent Work

LIFT represents a milestone in the digital transformation of labour inspectorates, offering a powerful new tool to improve compliance, protect vulnerable workers, and strengthen supply chain accountability worldwide.

By helping countries shift from isolated, paper-based inspections to comprehensive, data-driven governance, the ILO is laying the foundation for a more transparent global labour system—one that is better equipped to tackle labour violations, support fair competition, and advance decent work for all.