In addition to adopting Resolutions and Guidelines, the International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) identifies priority topics that require new or updated statistical standards. To support this process, the ILO forms dedicated Technical Working Groups. These groups provide expert advice to the ILO during the development of statistical standards that are later presented to the ICLS for discussion and adoption.
Each Technical Working Group is tripartite in nature, bringing together experts from governments, employers, and workers’ organizations. Representative from relevant regional and international organizations often also participate in these groups, ensuring coherence across different statistical standards. Members contribute to the standard-setting process by sharing their knowledge and practical experience in producing and using labour statistics related to the identified priority areas, and by ensuring the international statistical standards address and are responsive to regional and national differences and needs as relevant.
Following the 21st ICLS, the following topics are currently being addressed by Technical Working Groups.
International labour migration statistics
The ILO Technical Working Group on international labour migration statistics (TWG_ILMS) was established in June 2024, following discussions by the 21st ICLS regarding the need to revise the existing Guidelines concerning statistics of international labour migration, first endorsed in 2018. A review of national practices conducted by the ILO in 2023 revealed important differences in the availability and use of the main sources for statistics of international labour migration, with slightly less than half of countries having in place the three main types of data sources recognized, namely population censuses, surveys, and administrative records. Nevertheless, most countries had reported having plans to improve their statistics on the topic within five years.
The revision aims to update the Guidelines to ensure their alignment with emerging developments taking place in follow-up to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (2018) and the Global Compact on Refugees (2018), both of which emphasize the need for improved standards and data. In particular, the updated Guidelines will be aligned with the newly adopted UN Recommendations for Statistics of International Migration and Temporary Mobility (2025), the System of National Accounts (2025), the International Recommendations on Statelessness Statistics (2023), and the International Recommendations on Refugee Statistics (2018).
The TWG_ILMS is tasked with discussing proposed revisions to the scope and conceptual framework for statistics on international labour migration and mobility, with a view to publish revised Guidelines by the end of 2025. In the longer-term the TWG_ILMS will continue to focus on identifying and sharing good practice to further strengthen and expand methodological guidance in this area.
Work-related violence and harassment statistics
The ILO Technical Working Group on Work-related Violence and Harassment (TWG_WVH) was established in May 2025. The topic was highlighted as a priority by the 21st ICLS in response to the adoption of the Violence and Harassment Convention C190 in 2019 and the call for statistics in its accompanying Recommendation R206.
Convention C190 recognizes the right of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment and highlights the importance of evidence-based policy by calling for the collection and use of reliable data. This includes data disaggregated by sex, form of violence and harassment, sector, and other relevant factors to inform prevention strategies, monitor progress, and support victims effectively.
A review of nationally representative surveys conducted in 2020-2021 by the ILO revealed that the available data were not sufficient to understand the nature, the extent or the impact of work-related violence and harassment. The review also highlighted important differences in the conceptual and measurement approach across existing surveys.
The TWG_WVH will discuss the country practices and conceptual and measurement issues through online meetings and will propose draft Guidelines for endorsement by 2028.
Occupational safety and health statistics
The ILO Technical Working Group on Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (TWG_OSH) was established in November 2025, following the decision of the 21st International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) to initiate a revision of the international statistical standards on occupational safety and health. The current standard, the Resolution concerning statistics of occupational injuries adopted by the 16th ICLS in 1998, focuses exclusively on occupational injury statistics and does not address other essential OSH domains such as occupational diseases, exposure to workplace hazards, or prevention- and governance-oriented indicators.
The recognition of a safe and healthy working environment as a Fundamental Principle and Right at Work (2022) has increased the demand for comprehensive, reliable and internationally comparable OSH statistics. A recent review of national OSH statistical practices carried out by the ILO identified persistent gaps in data availability, coverage and comparability. These findings, summarized in the National Practices in Occupational Safety and Health Statistics report, highlight underreporting of accidents, limited surveillance of occupational diseases, uneven coverage of hazard exposure, and challenges in using multiple data sources.
To support the revision process, the ILO prepared an Issue Paper on OSH Statistics, which outlines the rationale, scope, and proposed thematic areas for updating the 1998 Resolution. The Issue Paper identifies the need to expand the statistical framework to include exposures to hazards, occupational diseases, leading indicators of prevention and system performance, and improved data governance, interoperability and classification standards. These themes were further discussed during the first online meeting of the TWG_OSH, for which a Summary of Main Points and Next Steps is available .
The revision aims to modernize the OSH statistical framework to better reflect contemporary workplace realities, including emerging risks (such as psychosocial and climate-related risks), diverse employment arrangements, and new opportunities created by digital technologies and integrated administrative data systems. The updated standard will broaden the scope of OSH statistics and support countries in producing data that are more prevention-oriented, coherent across sources and better aligned with labour, health and social protection frameworks.
The TWG_OSH will continue to review national practices, discuss conceptual and measurement issues, and propose elements for a revised Resolution for consideration at the 22nd ICLS in 2028. Its work includes online technical meetings, thematic consultations and a global webinar series designed to facilitate knowledge exchange across regions and institutions. The Working Group brings together experts from governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, as well as representatives from regional and international bodies, ensuring coherence across related statistical standards.
Digital platform work and employment statistics
Due to the strong need for statistical standards on digital platform work and employment identified in the Room Document on Digital Platform Work and Employment discussed at the 21st International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS), the ILO established a Technical Working Group on Digital Platform Employment Statistics (TWG_DPE) based on the mandate given by the Conference. The Conference recognised the rapid growth of platform-mediated goods and services, highlighting the need for statistical standards that would allow countries to produce reliable and comparable statistics in this area.
Digital labour platforms have expanded globally in recent years, enabling a wide range of services—from ride-hailing and delivery to online freelancing and micro-tasks—and goods. However, currently the topic suffers from significant data gaps, in part due to a clear international conceptual reference point. A review of Country practices and approaches for measuring digital platform employment: initiated by the ILO in 2023–2024 revealed substantial variation in the terminology used, the types of platforms and activities included, and the questions used to identify these activities. Such differences hinder international comparability and limit policymakers’ ability to analyse digital platform employment and its implications for labour markets.
The TWG_DPE is tasked with developing a coherent conceptual framework, definitions and recommended measurement approaches for digital platform work and employment, aligned with existing international standards on work and employment—particularly the 19th ICLS standards on work statistics and the ICSE-18 classification of status in employment. The Working Group will discuss the scope of digital platform work and employment, a possible statistical framework, its components and definitions, as well as relevant indicators and data sources. The work will draw on national experiences, pilot activities and expert inputs to ensure that the resulting guidance is both conceptually sound and practical to implement.
The TWG_DPE brings together experts from governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, and regional and international institutions engaged in measuring platform work. Through in-person and online meetings, thematic consultations and exchanges of national practices, the group will prepare draft standards for discussion and possible adoption at the 22nd ICLS in 2028. These standards will support countries in producing more comparable and policy-relevant statistics on digital platform work and employment, and in monitoring its role and evolution in modern labour markets.
Care work statistics
The ILO Technical Working Group on international statistical standards for care work measurement (TWG_CWM) was established in July 2025, following twin requests by the 21st International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) and the 112th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC). The importance attributed to the topic by the ILO’s constituents, as expressed through these mechanisms, reflects a broader intensification of demand for timely and comprehensive data on care work at global, regional, and national levels.
Policy interest in care work and the wider care economy has grown in recent years, as countries seek to respond to accelerating demographic shifts, and to grapple with persistent gender-based inequalities in labour market participation, workplace progression, and access to decent work. This has resulted in an intensification of demand for data on the topic, which has in turn exposed a number of important gaps. Not least, the absence of internationally agreed statistical standards and allied measurement frameworks, which complicates efforts to measure care work in a comprehensive and meaningful way, limiting scope for monitoring over time and for international comparability. As a result, the need for internationally agreed statistical standards for the measurement of care work, including a consistent reference definition, capable of retaining meaning and analytical coherence when applied to different situations, contexts, and settings has become increasingly evident.
The TWG_CWM – composed of statisticians, data users, policymakers, representatives of workers’ and employers’ organizations, and observers from international organizations – supports the statistical standard setting process for care work measurement through the exchange of national experiences and ensures that the development process is fully responsive to national, regional, and global developments and concerns. The TWG_CWM recommendations will be presented for discussion and possible adoption at the 22nd ICLS.
In parallel with this important work, ILO Statistics continues to support countries to measure paid and unpaid care work through labour force surveys aligned to existing statistical standards, as contained in resolutions of the 19th, 20th, and 21st ICLS, in order to support the production of interim statistics on key dimensions of care work and prepare the ground for timely and sustainable implementation of new standards, once adopted.
Revision of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08)
The ILO Technical Working Group on the revision of the International Standard Classification of Occupations-08 (ISCO-08) (ISCO_TWG) was established in June 2021, following discussions held at the 20th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) on the Review of the case for the revision of ISCO-08. The ICLS recommended the creation of a technical working group to undertake the revision of the classification with the objective of finalizing it in time for the next round of population and housing censuses in 2030.
The ISCO_TWG has examined the know issues in the classification, discussed and agreed on the revision roadmap, set priorities and identified several areas for improvement. As work progressed, the ISCO_TWG expanded its consultations with stakeholders, subject-matter experts and users, gathered additional inputs, and conducted extensive research and analysis of country practices. This process led to the identification of further issues and areas requiring attention. These include the conceptual framework of ISCO-08—particularly the measurement and application of skill levels as a classification criterion—the updating of the classification’s structure and content, the treatment of specific cases, and the overall modernization of ISCO.
The progress of the work was presented at the 21st ICLS , outlining both the activities completed and those planned. Delegates emphasized the importance of the revision of ISCO-08 and called for the advancement of the work towards adoption in 2028, in time for use in the 2030 round of the Population and Housing Censuses. Delegates strongly endorsed measures to modernise the ISCO revision process and urged the Office and the ISCO_TWG to develop concrete proposals to reduce the lag between updates.
The work on the ISCO revision continues to advance. A number of related activities have been launched, including a webinar on assisted/ automatic coding of information on occupations, and the development of guidance on the use of ISCO-08. Further consultations are planned on the draft classification to ensure broad engagement and global relevance. These efforts aim to support the timely completion and launch of the revised ISCO, in line with the mandate from the ICLS.