Navigating the transition from education to employment is a pivotal moment for young people, but for refugees, this journey is often compounded by significant challenges. With over 50% of refugees being under 25, they face disrupted education, trauma from displacement, limited networks, and the complexities of adapting to new cultures and languages. This not only hinders their personal development but also results in a vast waste of talent for their societies, potentially trapping another generation in dependency cycles.

In this podcast episode, we hear from two inspiring young refugees, Mashimbo Rose Nafisa and Joel Amani Mafigi, who have not only overcome these hurdles but have also dedicated their careers to empowering fellow young refugees. Their advocacy extends to the global stage, as they prepare to attend the United Nations Economic and Social Council Youth Forum in New York, where they will champion better work opportunities for young refugees on an international platform.

The district of Kono in eastern Sierra Leone has been scarred by diamond mining, leading to a loss of topsoil, erosion, and conflict. However, a project by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is helping to reclaim the land for agriculture and generate employment opportunities for young people in the region. Through the initiative, young people are learning farming skills and using green techniques to rehabilitate the mined-out areas for organic horticulture and beekeeping.

The escalation of hostilities in Gaza is continuing to have grave repercussions on lives and livelihoods, with cascading implications for the labour market.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury, a multilateral environmental treaty, addresses the production of mercury. Mining the element will become illegal in Mexico and the rest of the world in 2032. That leaves many miners worried about how they will support their families, even as they deal with the often-direct health risks of their profession. With unemployment over 70 percent, Mexican miners are at a crossroads. In response, the Mexican government has launched a project to help 19 communities in the Sierra Gorda transition to alternative, mercury-free livelihoods. The project is led by the United Nations Environment Programme.

Green jobs can help tackle the climate crisis and the labour market challenges faced by young people. So what exactly are green jobs? And what can young people do to create a sustainable future for themselves?

To answer these questions, on The Future of Work Podcast, Maja Markus holds a discussion with two young people from a trade union and an employers' organization, as well as a Junior Professional Officer working at the Green Jobs unit of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The summer of 2023 is recording some of the highest temperatures on record, for our entire planet. These new records have significant consequents, not just for the environment but also for human life, including the world of work. Heat stress is a growing issue. It affects not just individual workers – particularly those who work outside – but also businesses and the overall economy, because higher temperatures affect productivity. Working hours, routines, equipment, and regulation may all have to change. ILO explores the consequences of these higher temperatures for the world of work. How will governments, businesses and individual workers adapt?

Mutually reinforcing crises, including rising debt levels, are disproportionately affecting developing countries, worsening the global employment divide between high-income and low-income countries and widening existing inequalities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While global unemployment in 2023 is expected to fall below pre-pandemic levels – to 191 million, corresponding to a global unemployment rate of 5.3 per cent – estimates show that low-income countries remain far behind in the recovery process , according to the ILO Monitor on the World of Work.

The transition to a circular economy could lead to the creation of millions of new jobs. At the same time, this shift calls for informed policies that promote both job quality and environmental sustainability. However, a new ILO report has shown a lack of research in developing countries, where the vast majority of waste management and recycling jobs are located. It has been estimated that a total of seven to eight million new jobs could be created in the circular economy, where all forms of waste, such as clothes, scrap metal and obsolete electronics are reused, recycled and refurbished.

In June 2022, the International Labour Conference decided to include “a safe and healthy working environment” in the ILO’s framework of fundamental principles and rights at work. This year, the ILO celebrates this decision on World Day for Safety and Health, bringing together experts and constituents to discuss the implications it has for the world of work. Join the ILO global dialogue on how to implement a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental principle and right at work from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. EDT.

The current global economic slowdown is likely to force more workers to accept lower quality, poorly paid jobs which lack job security and social protection, accentuating inequalities. The World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2023 (WESO trends), projects that employment growth will be only 1 per cent in 2023, less than half the level in 2022, and unemployment is slated to rise slightly. The ILO report pays particular attention to the impact of the different crises on productivity, job quality and job opportunities and how these trends risk undermining social justice around the world.

Reduced working hours and more flexible working time arrangements, such as those used during the COVID-19 crisis, can benefit economies, enterprises and workers, and lay the ground for a better and more healthy work-life balance, according to a new ILO report. The report, Working Time and Work-Life Balance Around the World, looks at the two main aspects of working time; working hours and working time arrangements (also called work schedules) and the effects of both on business performance and workers' work-life balance.

Investing in policies that support Nature-based Solutions would generate significant employment opportunities, particularly in rural areas, if the transition is fair and inclusive, says a new report by the ILO.

ILO presents Linda Sarmento, who was disabled as a child. She was determined to go to school and later found work where she could. The COVID-19 pandemic however has made it harder. Mozambique’s social protection benefit has ensured that she meets her basic needs and helps her daughters attend school.

Over the last decade, reports of labour exploitation of migrants and even forced labour have been widespread. After a complaint in2014, following a period of intense negotiations, the State of Qatar and the ILO launched a programme to support major labour reforms.

In the midst of interlinked crises around the world threatening progress on women’s rights and pushing women out of the paid economy, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Anne Hathaway called on leaders of the global business community to put women at the heart of economic growth and recovery. UN Women has observed that care that is appreciated and properly valued in all its forms is a critical missing link in unlocking the full potential of women in the economy and in society.  Watch the video to find out more.