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

National Hotline 2016 Utah State Report

Publications

The following information is based on incoming communication with the National Human Trafficking Hotline from January 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016 about human trafficking cases and issues related to human trafficking in Utah. ...Read More

TAGS: North America

Assessment of the effects of annual drought and floods on child labour (hazardous and non-hazardous) and child welfare in Sri Lanka

Publications

The study aims at understanding some of the disaster-related issues and location-specific, local dynamics that impact on the communities, village households, householder livelihoods and daily survival difficulties, which directly affects the well-...Read More

TAGS: Agriculture, Horticulture & Landscaping Domestic Work/ Servitude Informal Sector Asia

Effectiveness of public procurement measures in addressing modern slavery

Publications

This Modern Slavery PEC Policy Brief is the third in a series of Policy Briefs that assess the evidence base on the effectiveness of different regulatory interventions to address modern slavery in global supply chains, a key research priority for th...Read More

TAGS: Global

National Hotline 2017 New Hampshire State Report

Graphics & InfographicsPublications

The data in this report represents signals and cases from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017 and is accurate as of July 11, 2018. Cases of trafficking may be ongoing or new information may be revealed to the National Hotline over time. Conseq...Read More

TAGS: North America