Labour shortages – turning away from bad jobs

Policy recommendations

Rising labour shortages reflect structural shifts, including the digital and green transitions, as well as a cyclical component in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The policy debate tends to focus on the need for skills and, where they are deemed to be missing, on bringing in those skills through immigration and mobility. Most discussions ignore the role of job quality, even though labour shortages have increased most and are worst in jobs with lower wages and worse conditions.
Tight labour markets can provide workers with opportunities, to some extent making up for the slow erosion of workers’ bargaining power over time. Indeed, this can lead to higher wages, better conditions and higher equality of wages overall.
It is now necessary to support workers and sectors in improving conditions. This can be done by embracing higher minimum standards on wages and quality of work. This aspect should not be neglected.

Labour shortages – turning away from bad jobs - European Economic, Employment and Social Policy, 2023 DOWNLOAD

Risky Business: How leading venture capital firms ignore human rights when investing in technology

Publications

Venture capitalists shape the future of technology, and with it the future of our economies, politics, societies and fundamentally, our human rights. They decide which new technologies and technology companies will receive early-stage funding. This,...Read More

TAGS: Due Diligence Information and Communications Technology Global

Freedom First Celebrating 20 Years of Progress to Combat Human Trafficking

Publications

This retrospective report provides a historical perspective on the context in which the TVPA (the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000) was crafted, celebrates the major accomplishments of the United States government, and provides a view of t...Read More

TAGS: North America

It’s a Journey We Travel Together: Women Migrants Fighting for a Just Society

News & AnalysisPublications

This report describes the Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR) carried out by seven organisations from six countries across Asia and the Pacific region (Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong) between 2019 and 2021. The...Read More

TAGS: Global Asia

National Hotline 2019 Missouri State Report

Graphics & InfographicsPublications

The data in this report represents signals and cases from January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019 and is accurate as of July 30, 2020. Cases of trafficking may be ongoing or new information may revealed to the National Hotline over time. Consequen...Read More

TAGS: North America