Workshop report: ODI/EC "Social Protection and Labour Market Transformation in the 21st Century"

On 3 April DEVCO and ODI hosted a workshop in London to discuss Social Protection and Labour Market Transformation in the 21st Century. Academics and representatives of development agencies, civil society organisations and government debated this key theme which underpins our work today. Key issues that were brought up included: Growing labour market insecurity - as a result of a combination of factors including the persistence of high informality, weakening labour regulation and organisation, the rise of new forms of employment; adverse incorporation into the economy, resulting in significant numbers of ‘working poor’, with major implications for the role and sustainability of social protection; the high, and in some cases increasing, unemployment and underemployment rates among youth ; gender remains a key dimension of disadvantage, with the critical issues listed above, including informality, low-paid work, unemployment and underemployment disproportionately affecting women.

Read the full workshop report.