News Room

This brief looks at the general findings from global literature on demographic trends, while also unveiling specific demographic concerns of the Global South.

The world economy is witnessing massive transformation in the way it organizes production, consumption, and trade. These changes are rooted in a confluence of multiple and mutually reinforcing innovations in technology. As firms reimagine products and processes and workers become increasingly intertwined with digital tools, the world of work is being redefined once again.

This paper is part of the Growth and Reducing Inequality Working Paper Series which is an effort to gather and disseminate a diverse range of perspectives and research on trends, drivers and policy responses relevant to developing country efforts to boost growth and reduce inequality.

Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, and co-author Anna Byhovskaya - leading voices on workers' rights - write about the pivotal role of unions in facilitating social dialogue and ensuring a fair transition toward quality jobs in the digital era.

JustJobs Network introduces real case studies from around the world, examining how technology in its different dimensions is changing employment outcomes.

The JustJobs Index (JJI) is a comprehensive, data-driven approach to measuring the quantity and quality of jobs around the world. The 2014 JJI ranks countries on one of the most important metrics of economic success: just job creation.

This report examines what some governments, companies, and civil society groups are currently doing to improve youth employment outcomes, and with what effect.

The key to reform in the apparel industry lies in enabling young, first- time workers to stand up for their rights. As the vast majority of apparel sector workers are young women, better collaboration between women's rights organizations and trade unions is an imperative.

The restructuring of trade into Global Value Chains has had a significant impact on labor markets. Research suggests that today, one in five jobs is related to global supply chains. Now that such fragmented, dispersed and complex patterns of trade through supply and value chains are apparent, there is a need to better understand how these impact the world of work. How do we actively shape this evolution to create inclusive economies where more people benefit from an expanding economic pie?

Prakash Loungani, Chief of Development Macroeconomics at the IMF Research Department, writes about the gap in IMF's existing policy framework, with respect to concerns about technology-induced job losses in the short-run, and provides key recommendations aimed at harnessing the long-run benefits of technology adoption.