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Posts

Inside West Africa’s youth labour market: Informality, inequality and missed opportunities
Decent work reality check: Informality is everywhere
The world of work and the 2030 Agenda: a ten-year review
New global estimates reveal that 2.1 billion people volunteer monthly
Everyday helpers: What new data reveal about trends in direct volunteering
What labour income reveals about gender inequalities at work
Those left behind: the forgotten in the fight against global poverty
Tourism jobs in the aftermath of the pandemic: skills and labour in short supply
Casting a light on dependent contractors: a new statistical and increasingly important category
Empowering Africa’s youth: the need for more vocational training and on-the-job learning
Understanding the scale of human trafficking for forced labour
The complex link between education and labour underutilization
New data reveals leading causes of seafarer deaths in 2023
Subsistence foodstuff producers: the importance of making their work visible
The world’s gateway to labour statistics: ILO joins UN Data platform
Digital progress without inclusion leaves workers behind
Measuring progress on labour rights
The right to occupational safety and health: Still unrealized
Happiness: a key metric to understanding decent work
Constant turbulence: employment in civil aviation
Tackling work-related violence and harassment: What data from three pilot surveys in West Africa reveal
How labour data can help us advance sustainable development
How the latest statistical standards improve knowledge about rural women’s work
The plight of older workers in labour underutilization
Tracking the rebound in tourism employment
Beneath the surface: analyzing the maritime workforce
Elevate your labour statistics: Why Convention No. 160 is a must-ratify
Beyond the bin: Decent work deficits in the waste management and recycling industry
The true value of a paycheck: Understanding PPP-adjusted income statistics
How population trends shape our workforce
Advancing the measurement of care work and the care economy: a global consultation for new statistical standards
Who powers the public sector?
Current practices in measuring sexual orientation and gender identity in population censuses
Women with young children have much lower labour force participation rates
Safety in numbers: what labour inspection data tells us
Charting progress on the global goals and decent work
Women are more likely than men to want a job but not have one
Making labour statistics work for women: recent developments and the way ahead
Behind the mic: exploring employment patterns in radio broadcasting
Insights into youth participation in work-based learning
The unseen workforce behind wastewater management
Where women work: female-dominated occupations and sectors
New standards, increased visibility: improving measurement of the informal economy
From tradition to transformation: employment trends in postal and courier services
Quality education for all? We need (more) teachers!
How data can bolster decent work in the tourism sector
Equal pay for work of equal value: where do we stand in 2023?
African youth face pressing challenges in the transition from school to work
Youth skills: tackling challenges and seizing opportunities for a brighter future of work
Micro and small enterprises: engines of job creation
Nurses and midwives: overworked, underpaid, undervalued?
Beyond the numbers: exploring the relationship between collective bargaining coverage and inequality
ILO data highlights need for disability disaggregated labour force surveys and investment in data systems
Assessing the current state of the global labour market: implications for achieving the Global Goals
Forest sector employs 33 million around the world, according to new global estimates
New ILO database updates work-related indicators to meet latest standards
Breaking the bias for better gender data
New ILO database highlights labour market challenges of persons with disabilities
Inflation more than doubled between March 2021 and March 2022
COVID-19 and the Sustainable Development Goals: reversing progress towards decent work for all
Over 2 million moms left the labour force in 2020 according to new global estimates
Why would labour productivity surge during a pandemic?
What to know when comparing data on women and men’s work
Keeping labour data flowing during the COVID-19 pandemic
Only half of workers worldwide hold jobs corresponding to their level of education
How women are being left behind in the quest for decent work for all
How to strengthen gender measures and data in the COVID-19 era
Avoid these 5 rookie mistakes when using ILO databases
Who are the women on the move? A portrait of female migrant workers
COVID-19 is driving up food prices all over the world
Interest in volunteering reached new heights in March and April 2020
International Day of Persons with Disabilities: how disability affects labour market outcomes
Fallout of COVID-19: working moms are being squeezed out of the labour force
Lessons from the pandemic: building better gender data for the future
International Day of Rural Women: the unfinished quest for decent work for all
Millions of hours spent daily on unpaid work: evidence from Asia and the Pacific
Education pays off, but you have to be patient
International Day of Families: how marital status shapes labour market outcomes
COVID-19 and the new meaning of safety and health at work
Will COVID-19 impair the availability and quality of labour statistics?
COVID-19: are there enough health workers?
“I am Generation Equality”: ideals versus reality in Asia and the Pacific’s labour markets
These occupations are dominated by women
Having kids sets back women’s labour force participation more so than getting married
258 million workers in the world are over-educated for their jobs
Can we achieve decent work for all by 2030?
How many women work in STEM?
Measuring job quality: difficult but necessary
Transition from school to work remains a difficult process for youth
Gender equality in the workplace remains elusive
Are migrants also successful in the labour market?
100 statistics on the ILO and the labour market to celebrate the ILO centenary
Inclusion and diversity in the labour market: a call for LGBT labour statistics
Counting the volunteers the world counts on
How do people with disabilities fare in the labour market?
Africa’s employment landscape
Men are dropping out of the workforce – here’s where the numbers are highest
Tech’s persistent gender gap
At least 44’000 work stoppages since 2010
Work and employment are not synonyms
Decent work and the SDGs: 11 charts that tell the story
Young people are far more likely to be in working poverty
Not in employment, education or training: the reality for many young rural women
These are the countries with the most teachers
Older workers are most discouraged in these countries
Persons outside the labour force: how inactive are they really?
The declining labour income share
The working poor – or how a job is no guarantee of decent living conditions
Labour market access – a persistent challenge for youth around the world
Avoiding unemployment is not enough
Paid employment vs vulnerable employment
What about seniors?
Where are the jobs?

Publications (PDF)

Labour migration in ASEAN: Analysis from the International Labour Migration Statistics Database in ASEAN
Example of a LFS News Release after implementation of latest standards adopted by International Conferences of Labour Statisticians
Unpacking informality: A multidimensional policy decomposition
Informal volunteering: trends and characteristics
Digital labour platforms: Number of platforms and workers
ILO global estimates on international migrants in the labour force: Figures at a glance
Estimation methodology – ILO Modelled Estimates of International Migrants in the Labour Force
Employment and Social Trends 2026
The State of Social Justice 2025
Design of the survey on Immigrants’ Living Conditions and Labour Force: the experience of Korea
Implementing the ILO Guidelines Concerning Statistics of Cooperatives: Insights from five countries
Measuring Cooperatives: An information guide on the ILO Guidelines Concerning Statistics of Cooperatives (Second edition)
Consumer Price Index Manual: Theory, 2025
Child Labour: Global estimates 2024, trends and the road forward
World Employment and Social Outlook: May 2025 Update
Global register of fatalities at sea: Experimental data collection
The role of communication and dissemination in fulfilling the potential of gender-relevant work statistics
Women and the economy: 30 years after the Beijing Declaration
Main sources of work statistics – Strengths and limitations
Checklist for 19th ICLS standards application
World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2025
Promoting the use of administrative data sources for international labour migration statistics in Türkiye
Quick guide on the communication of results after implementation of latest standards on statistics of work, employment, and labour underutilization
ILO global estimates on international migrants in the labour force
Survey Questions for Collecting Data on Work Relationships and Informality
Questionnaire for Self-Assessment of the Quality of Administrative Records (SAQUAR)
User Guide for the Questionnaire for Self-Assessment of the Quality of Administrative Records (SAQUAR)
Global Wage Report 2024-25: Is wage inequality decreasing globally?
Communicating new labour statistics standards implementation
The impact of care responsibilities on women’s labour force participation
High-level independent evaluation of the ILO strategies and approaches for the development and use of labour statistics, 2018-23
ILOSTAT Microdata Processing Quick Guide: Principles and methods underlying the ILO’s processing of anonymized household survey microdata
The LFS light time-use module
Unpaid Domestic and Care Work: The Gender Bias
The Reality of Informality
Giving Visibility to the Invisible: Measuring informality
Measurement in motion – Tracking new trends and setting new standards in the world of work
Setting new standards – The process of international standard setting for labour statistics
Implementing the 19th ICLS resolution – How?
Implementing the 19th ICLS resolution – Why?
Promoting the use of administrative data sources for international labour migration statistics in Korea
Measuring international labour migration in the Republic of Korea
World Social Protection Report 2024-26: Universal social protection for climate action and a just transition
Strengthening labour statistics: Quick guide to C160 ratification and data reporting
World Employment and Social Outlook: September 2024 Update
Note on the implementation of statistical standards from the 19th, 20th and 21st ICLS through household surveys
Hard to see, harder to count: Handbook on forced labour surveys
The jobs gap: Measuring labour underutilisation beyond unemployment
Unpaid Domestic and Care Work Social Media Kit
Statistical Methodology Series 11 – Identification of informality through labour force surveys
Statistical Methodology Series 10 – Identification of ICSE-18 through labour force surveys
Statistical Methodology Series 9 – Engendering informality project
LMIS Brief Description and ILO Toolkit
Own-use provision of services: Measurement guide
Resolution concerning statistics on the informal economy
The International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08) companion guide
International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE-18) manual
New data shine light on gender gaps in the labour market
ILO modelled estimates methodological overview
Contribution of the forest sector to total employment in national economies – Estimating the number of people employed in the forest sector
Engendering informality statistics: gaps and opportunities
Global Wage Report 2022-23: The impact of inflation and COVID-19 on wages and purchasing power
Quick guide to understanding the impact of the new statistical standards on ILOSTAT databases
Global Employment Trends for Youth 2022: Investing in transforming futures for young people
Social Dialogue Report 2022: Collective bargaining for an inclusive, sustainable and resilient recovery
Measuring labour migration in ASEAN: Analysis from the ILO’s International Labour Migration Statistics (ILMS) Database
Global review of impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on labour force surveys and dissemination of labour market statistics
Measuring volunteer work self-learning course
Measuring Women and Men’s Work: Main Findings from a Joint ILO and World Bank Study in Sri Lanka
Measuring Women and Men’s Work: Summary of Main Findings and Recommendations from a Joint ILO and World Bank Study in Sri Lanka
Building Forward Fairer: Women’s rights to work and at work at the core of the COVID-19 recovery
Volunteer work measurement guide
Strengthening gender measures and data in the COVID-19 era: An urgent need for change
How COVID-19 is changing the world: a statistical perspective, Volume III
Consumer Price Index Manual: Concepts and Methods | 2020
Report on Labour Migration Statistics in Africa (Third Edition, 2019)
Statistics on Cooperatives: Concepts, classification, work and economic contribution measurement
Making Women’s Work Visible: The 19th ICLS Standards, Purpose and Progress
Volunteer work and its links to the labour market experiences of young people
Quick Guide on sources and uses of statistics on occupational safety and health
Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic: Gender relevance of the 19th ICLS statistical standards
Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic: Closing gender data gaps in the world of work – role of the 19th ICLS standards
Rural and urban labour markets: Different challenges for promoting decent work
How COVID-19 is changing the world: a statistical perspective, Volume II
Spotlight on SDG 8: The impact of marriage and children on labour market participation
Defining and measuring remote work, telework, work at home and home-based work
Conceptual framework for statistics on work relationships
Capturing impacts on employment and unpaid work using Rapid Surveys
COVID-19 impact on labour market statistics
How COVID-19 is changing the world: a statistical perspective
Guidance to data producers to maintain labour force survey data collection
COVID-19 Guidance for labour statistics data collection: Consumer Price Indexes
Essential labour force survey content and treatment of special groups
Guidebook on how and why to collect and use data on industrial relations
Education pays off, but you have to be patient
Sources and Methods Volume 9: International labour migration (2020)
ILO Model question on volunteer work for Population and Housing Censuses
ILO model questions on economic characteristics for population censuses
Quick Guide on Measuring Economic Characteristics in the Population Census
From school to work: An analysis of youth labour market transitions
Persons outside the labour force: How inactive are they really?
Time to Act for SDG 8 : Integrating Decent Work, Sustained Growth and Environmental Integrity
The global labour income share and distribution: Key findings
The Global Labour Income Share and Distribution: Methodological Description
The working poor… or how a job is no guarantee of decent living conditions
Guide to reporting labour statistics to the ILO using the Excel questionnaire
Quick guide on interpreting the unemployment rate
Labour market access – a persistent challenge for youth around the world
Data collection guidelines for ICSE-18
Quick guide on sources and uses of collective bargaining statistics
Resolution concerning statistics on work relationships
Resolution concerning statistics of child labour (including amendments)
Resolution concerning the methodology of the SDG indicator 8.8.2 on labour rights (including amendments)
Guidelines concerning statistics of international labour migration
Guidelines concerning statistics of cooperatives
Guidelines concerning measurement of qualifications and skills mismatches of persons in employment
Resolution concerning the methodology of the SDG indicator 8.b.1 on youth employment
Decent Work and the Sustainable Development Goals: A Guidebook on SDG Labour Market Indicators
International labour migration statistics in South Asia: Establishing a subregional database and improving data collection for evidence-based policy-making
Measuring women’s paid and unpaid work under ICLS 19
Avoiding unemployment is not enough
Exploring Light Time-Use approaches for measuring productive activities
Measuring employment in labour force surveys: Main findings from the ILO LFS pilot studies
Measuring working time and time-related underemployment in labour force surveys: Main findings from the ILO LFS pilot studies
Measuring main activity in labour force surveys: Main findings from the ILO LFS pilot studies
Guidelines concerning the measurement of forced labour
National practices in measuring volunteer work: A critical review
Care work and care jobs for the future of decent work
Visualizing labour markets: A quick guide to charting labour statistics
Paid employment vs vulnerable employment
Where are the jobs?
Measuring unemployment and the potential labour force in labour force surveys: Main findings from the ILO LFS pilot studies
ILO LFS pilot studies experimental field tests: Methodology, process and outcomes
ILO LFS pilot studies cognitive interviewing tests: Methodology, process and outcomes
ILO LFS pilot studies in follow up to the 19th ICLS: Background, objectives and methodology
What about seniors?
Quick guide on sources and uses of labour statistics
Trends in collective bargaining coverage: Stability, erosion or decline?
Conceptual Framework for the Purpose of Measurement of Cooperatives and its Operationalization
Can we measure the school-to-work transition of young persons with labour force surveys? A feasibility study
Key Labor Market Indicators: Analysis with Household Survey Data
Guide on the Harmonization of Labour Inspection Statistics
Sources and Methods Volume 10: Disability statistics (2015)
Measuring Employment in the Tourism Industries: Guide with Best Practices
Consumer Price Index Manual. Theory and Practice.
Sampling elusive populations: Applications to studies of child labour
Measuring informality: A statistical manual on the informal sector and informal employment
Decent Work Indicators – Guidelines for producers and users of statistical and legal framework indicators
Guidelines concerning a statistical definition of employment in the environmental sector
Resolution concerning statistics of work, employment and labour underutilization (including amendments)
Employment and economic class in the developing world
Handbook on Residential Property Prices Indices (RPPIs). 2013 edition
Social Dialogue Indicators Comparative Note: Collecting information through Labour Force Surveys
Sources and Methods Volume 1: Consumer price indices (2013)
International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08), Volume 1: Structure, group definitions and correspondence tables
Occupational injuries statistics from household surveys and establishment surveys: ILO manual on methods
Measuring the Economically Active in Population Censuses: A Handbook
Sources and Methods Volume 2: Establishment surveys (2012) – Employment, wages, hours of work and labour cost
Practical Guide to Producing Consumer Price Indices
Sources and Methods Volume 3B: Labour force surveys (2011) – Source of statistics of the labour force and its components
Resolution concerning the measurement of working time
Sampling for household-based surveys of child labour
The employment situation of people with disabilities: Towards improved statistical information
United Nations Guide to Producing Statistics on Time-Use: Measuring Paid and Unpaid Work
Sources and Methods Volume 5: Population censuses (2004) – Total and economically active population, employment and unemployment
Sources and Methods Volume 4: Administrative records and related sources (2004) – Employment, unemployment, wages and hours of work
Sources and Methods Volume 3A: Household surveys (2004) – Economically active population, employment, unemployment and hours of work
Resolution concerning consumer price indices
Guidelines concerning a statistical definition of informal employment
Resolution concerning household income and expenditure statistics (including amendments)
Resolution concerning further work on the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO)
Decent work statistical indicators: strikes and lockouts statistics in the international context
Sources and Methods Volume 6: Household income and expenditure statistics (2003)
Measuring the non-observed economy. A handbook
Sources and Methods Volume 8: Occupational injuries (1999)
Sources and Methods Volume 7: Strikes and lockouts (1999)
Resolution concerning the measurement of underemployment and inadequate employment situations
Resolution concerning the measurement of employment-related income (including amendments)
Resolution concerning statistics of occupational injuries (resulting from occupational accidents)
Resolution concerning statistics of labour cost
Resolution concerning statistics of strikes, lockouts and other action due to labour disputes
Resolution concerning statistics of employment in the informal sector
Resolution concerning the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE)
Resolution concerning statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment
Resolution concerning an integrated system of wages statistics
Resolution concerning statistics of collective agreements

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The Statistics Branch of the ILO Department of Research and Statistics is the focal point to the United Nations on labour statistics. We develop international standards for better measurement of labour issues and enhanced international comparability; provide relevant, timely and comparable labour statistics; and help Member States develop and improve their labour statistics.

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