Social justice will be an increasingly important part of the work paradigm in 2024

With the year having just ended, I wanted to use this article to look forward and think about where labour markets are headed. Specifically, I have been contemplating what efforts can be made to put in place conditions that guarantee access to safe, dignified and meaningful work. In that context I thought it would be interesting to highlight some new initiatives and plans supported by my colleagues at the World Employment Confederation (WEC) on the topic of social justice.

Working toward more certain access to work in uncertain times

Perhaps it has become a bit cliché to speak of the Covid pandemic or how global conflicts and industry transitions have upended our lives in recent years. But the truth is that the world of work is now genuinely different because of these various phenomena. For those of us who are lucky enough to live in technologically-advanced countries with the necessary infrastructure, we have been able to adapt quickly to work style changes – becoming digital nomads or taking advantage of options to work at home and in hybrid office arrangements. But these options are not promised to all workers. Bearing this in mind, organisations like WEC and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) have put forward proposals and plans for specific activities that will try to mitigate the more extreme aspects of inequal access to technology, labour mobility, job opportunities, etc. This work focuses on four key areas: fundamental rights and protections in the workplace; the ability to find full, productive and freely chosen employment; social and labour protections on the job; and support for social dialogue and tripartism. These efforts are meant to help businesses around the world bring their employment and worker support structures closer to achieving the UN’s sustainable development goal (SDG) for Decent Work & Economic Growth.

What can be done to achieve social justice in the workplace?

The simple answer is that this will take some thought and will need time to happen in an impactful way for people seeking active, meaningful participation in the job market. Still, the ILO and WEC have already begun work building structures supported by a newly-developed Global Coalition for Social Justice. This initiative looks to engage stakeholders from across national, as well as international, labour markets in supporting proven concepts of social dialogue and tripartism in countries where such processes can be further improved or event built up from scratch to ensure newly-developed employment opportunities deliver economic stability and financial security while guaranteeing respect for basic human rights and individual dignity. A subproject of the Global Coalition’s work includes the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions, which will encourage national governments’ investment into programmes supporting job creation and access while monitoring guarantees for social protections: specifically in our modern global economy with diverse forms of work (freelancing, temp work, gig economy projects, etc.). Protective measures and guarantees for safe, fulfilling and dignified work need to be as agile as the workers businesses seek to fulfil new roles.

How private employment agencies can lead the way

Moving forward, greater emphasis in supporting agency and temp workers will also focus on providing guarantees for worker protection through fair contracting. This means employees will be able to access contracted roles that meet market demand while giving them a greater sense of job security. The main premise in this area is to support flexibility that protects workers while helping businesses curb skills shortages and access talent in areas where needed. The WEC and its private employment agency constituents are supporting ILO programmes through diversification of labour contracts and work arrangements including access to flexible, open-ended contracts, to part-time work agreements and to fixed-term contracts. A big effort is being made here to ensure more opportunities for employment in away that responds to the fluidity and VUCA-like features (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) of today’s economy. On the same tack, employment agencies will continue to make a concerted effort to ensure access to employment for diverse groups. Per ILO figures, almost 39% of workers were unemployed or inactive prior to being hired for their first agency-secured assignment. Similarly, agency employment placements have proven popular among younger workers (24 and below) needing help to secure their first professional roles as well as with pre-retirees and seniors who are looking for greater working hour flexibility. ILO stats show that in most countries with active private employment agencies operating on their markets, more of 70% of workers in job placements made are satisfied with the roles received. The task ahead for agencies and national governments (as well as international labour regulatory bodies) is to ensure that work options continue to be fairly compensated, provide for worker dignity and basic human rights, and allow career advancement and growth flexibility to the satisfaction of workers and employers alike.