ECLAC Participates in First Meeting of G20 Employment Working Group

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) participated in the first meeting of the G20 Employment Working Group from February 20-22, 2018. The meeting took place in the city of Buenos Aires in the context of the G20 international forum, of which Argentina currently holds the presidency.

During the meeting, ECLAC provided a regional look at job trends in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as informal labor – taking into account the formalization options available and limitations – and the impact of new business models on jobs.

On this occasion, participants requested that ECLAC continue taking an active role in this international forum, which will be meeting throughout the year to address different issues.

The G20 employment agenda, spurred by its current presidency, proposes addressing the future of work based on three thematic concepts: the promotion of job skills and ongoing training for inclusive growth and decent work; labor formalization; and stronger social protection, including cross-cutting focuses on gender equality, the integration of persons with disabilities and the promotion of social dialogue for consensus-building.

Following this roadmap, over the three days of the Employment Working Group’s meeting, participants discussed global trends in the labor market; the promotion of labor formalization and decent jobs; and social protection in the context of upcoming transformations in the world of jobs.

Meeting participants included officials from G20 member countries, labor (L20) and business (B20) representatives.

Regional participants were Argentina, Brazil and Mexico – forum members – in addition to Chile and Jamaica, the latter in representation of the Caribbean Community.

Also attending the meeting were international organizations with permanent presence at the forum, such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the International Labor Organization.

The next meeting of the Employment Working Group is scheduled for April 10-12, once again in Buenos Aires, and will consist of a workshop on job skills in the context of the future of work, as well as a meeting on inequality.