In today’s rapidly evolving world of work, reliable and up-to-date labour statistics are more important than ever. They are crucial for producing evidence-based policies, as they provide governments, employers, and workers with the data they need to understand the complexities of modern labour markets. Recognizing this critical need, the ILO has launched a new quick guide to promote and explain the ratification of Convention No. 160 (C160) on labour statistics, which supports the development of robust statistical systems worldwide.
Strengthening labour statistics: Quick guide to C160 ratification and data reporting
This quick guide highlights the benefits of ratifying ILO Convention No. 160 on labour statistics and explains the ratification process as well as reporting obligations following ratification.
Why labour statistics matter
Labour statistics refer to the systematic collection, analysis, and dissemination of data related to the labour market and world of work. They are essential for understanding labour market dynamics, informing policy decisions, and promoting fair and equitable working conditions. The ILO has recognized the critical role of labour statistics since its founding in 1919.
Adopted a hundred years later, the ILO’s Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work highlights the importance of maintaining high standards in statistical, research, and knowledge management capacities. These standards are crucial for providing the evidence-based policy advice needed to achieve social justice and decent work for all. C160, being the up-to-date instrument on the topic, aligns perfectly with these principles, making its ratification a priority for ILO Member States.
The relevance of C160 today
C160 was adopted to update and expand upon an earlier Convention on this topic concerning Statistics of Wages and Hours of Work (No. 63), adopted in 1938. Once vital, Convention 63 has become outdated leading to its abrogation at the 2024 International Labour Conference – further emphasizing the relevance of C160 for labour statistics.
By covering a wide range of labour statistics—including employment, unemployment, wages, working time, labour costs, and more—C160 provides a vital framework for countries to maintain accurate and relevant data. Ratifying C160 helps ensure that national labour statistics systems remain robust and capable of supporting effective labour market policies, making it essential for addressing challenges in today’s world of work.
Benefits of ratifying C160
Ratifying C160 offers numerous benefits for countries committed to enhancing their labour market policies and aligning with international standards. Here’s how C160 can make a difference:
- Enhancing credibility: Ratifying C160 commits countries to the regular collection of key labour statistics according to internationally recognized standards. This enhances the transparency, comparability, and credibility of national data, strengthening the country’s reputation both domestically and within the global statistical community.
- Fostering collaboration: C160 encourages collaboration between government agencies, such as labour ministries and national statistical offices, for example, and involves social partners in the process as well. This leads to more accurate and comprehensive labour statistics by ensuring a coordinated approach.
- Aligning with sustainable development goals (SDGs): Labour statistics are crucial for monitoring progress towards various SDGs, especially SDG 8, which focuses on promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full employment, and decent work for all. Ratifying C160 helps countries meet their SDG commitments and contributes to broader global efforts for sustainable development.
- Building statistical capacity: C160 requires countries to regularly report to the ILO on the measures taken to apply the convention in law and practice. This obligation through the engagement with the ILO supervisory bodies helps to monitor progress and identify areas for improvement in labour statistics. The ILO provides technical assistance to support countries with labour statistics, including guidance on methodology, data collection, processing, analysis, dissemination, and the development of Labour Market Information Systems (LMIS).
- Staying relevant and up-to-date: C160 covers a wide range of labour market indicators, including employment, unemployment, wages, working time, injuries, and more. By ratifying C160, countries ensure they have the necessary tools to capture labour market complexities accurately. Additionally, the convention promotes the continuous improvement of concepts and methodologies, encouraging Member States to align with the latest international statistical standards, thus helping them to stay ahead in the evolving world of work.
- Promoting informed policymaking: Accurate labour statistics are essential for evidence-based policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation. Ratifying C160 equips governments and stakeholders with the data needed to design effective labour market policies, address employment challenges, and promote social and economic development.
- Supporting an ILO priority: The ILO Governing Body has identified C160 as an up-to-date instrument that should be prioritized for ratification. The ILO Centenary Declaration’s emphasis on maintaining high standards in statistics and research is also in line with this recommendation.
A practical instrument
Ratifying C160 is a straightforward process, and for many countries, it does not require significant additional effort. Most countries already have the necessary statistical systems in place for collecting and reporting labour market data requested under the Convention. And even so, C160 allows Member States to opt for a progressive ratification accepting obligations under either all or selected articles of Part II of the Convention. Moreover, the ILO’s reporting process is streamlined, making compliance manageable and beneficial.
Despite the relatively low number of current ratifications, many countries are already in de facto compliance with C160. Ratifying C160 formally will help strengthen national labour statistics systems, which in turn support global efforts toward sustainable economic growth and decent work for all.
Conclusion
By ratifying C160, countries can enhance their labour statistics systems and better understand and navigate the challenges of the modern world of work. Ratification is not just a commitment to international standards—it is an investment in the future of work, helping to ensure that all workers benefit from informed, fair, and effective labour policies.
Ready to take the next step? Explore the quick guide and consider ratifying C160 to support a fair and sustainable future of work.
