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This report provides an in-depth analysis of global labour market trends, highlighting the impacts of slowing economic recovery, persistent youth unemployment, and gender disparities. It examines the structural challenges facing workers worldwide and offers insights into regional and global patterns shaping the future of work. For the first time, it offers an analysis of subnational trends in selected countries. The report also offers labour market projections for 2025 and 2026. Finally, it presents trends in labour force participation, employment growth, and informality and analyses their contributions to structural labour market deficits.

Strong headline employment indicators hide persistent structural weaknesses on global labour markets. The global economy is slowing down, making it harder for labour markets to recover fully. In 2024 global employment grew in line with the labour force, keeping the unemployment rate steady at 5 per cent. However, youth unemployment showed little improvement, remaining high at 12.6 per cent. Although unemployment has stabilized at a historical low, informal employment, gender gaps and working poverty have shown little or no improvement following the return to pre-pandemic trends. Low-income countries faced the most difficulties in creating decent jobs. Lacklustre productivity growth in major economic markets in Europe and Asia amidst slowing structural transformation towards manufacturing and high-value-added services is also preventing the recovery of real disposable incomes from the losses incurred during the most recent inflationary period. Manufacturing, once a driver of economic growth and productive employment, has experienced a protracted period of stagnation, which has exacerbated spatial inequalities both within and across countries. On current trends, no further improvements in decent work from the 2015 baseline are to be expected by 2030.

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This study aimed to analyze how career adaptability and job control can influence apprentices' perceptions of their work as being decent and stressful. The participants included 530 Swiss apprentices enrolled in a three-year vocational education training (VET) program. Structural equation modeling showed a positive association between career adaptability and job control and a strong negative association between decent work perception and occupational stress. Career adaptability had a specific positive relationship with decent work perception, whereas job control had a significant relationship with both decent work and occupational stress. Finally, results indicate that decent work could be a possible mediator between career adaptability and occupational stress and between job control and occupational stress. The study suggests that some personal resources and specific work conditions, such as physical and psychological safety and working hours that allow leisure and rest, could help apprentices perceive their work environment as positive and manage occupational stress.

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Context: The German vocational training and education (VET) system is designed to cope with change. Within this system, organizational VET trainers (OVETT) are the main persons of reference for apprentices in the organization, in most cases for the whole three-year training period. Whether training can help to realize or maintain decent work also depends on whether the trainers themselves have decent working conditions. Approach: The empirical foundation for our analysis of the situation of OVETTs and the challenges they face in transformative times is a recently conducted study. Using a mixed-methods research design, consisting of 28 qualitative interviews and an online survey completed by 1,004 organizational VET trainers, this study analyzes the working conditions of German VET trainers and assesses possible effects on decent work.

Findings: We show that although there is a willingness on the part of OVETTs to handle change and transformation, they are not sufficiently involved in their companies' strategic decisions. Our data shows that some OVETTs perceive themselves as being in a potentially influential position. Many, however, report that they are only the object of change instead of participating and contributing their competencies and opinions. The data shows the extent to which the work of vocational trainers is affected by stress, conflicting demands and a lack of support. This is particularly true for part-time trainers who, in addition to their normal work, are also responsible for the success of the apprentices and the entire VET system. However, the high intrinsic motivation of trainers enables them to fulfil their tasks and meet the high expectations placed on them. Conclusions: A special aspect of this is the 'sandwich' position of OVETTs, who face transformative, societal demands, and challenges from both below (i.e., from the apprentices) and above (i.e., from management). At the same time, there is a lack of structural and operational resources. Organizational changes expose them more directly to certain challenges, but do not give them a chance to help shape their own conditions. Although the VET trainers are accustomed to mastering different requirements and interests, in transformative times new challenges arise and intensify the already heavy burden on VET personnel. If these are not addressed and VET work is not organized as decent, this will also jeopardize the quality of the vocational training system in the medium term.

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This policy brief focuses on how mainstream Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and skills development systems can improve the labour market situation of persons with disabilities in Africa. It outlines the steps in making TVET systems inclusive to ensure that persons with disabilities acquire the skills necessary for decent work and economic independence. It examines different barriers to inclusion and how these can be overcome, building on good practice examples from Africa. It looks at key priority actions to make Africa's TVET systems more inclusive for people with disabilities.

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Based on the social cognitive model and on the psychology of working theory, this research aims to study the job and life satisfaction of apprentices, considering proactive personality, person-supervisor and person-group fit, occupational self-efficacy, and decent work as antecedents. The participants were 530 Swiss apprentices enrolled in a three-year [vocational education and training] VET program with the Federal VET Diploma. The results show that proactivity is directly linked with person-supervisor and person-group fit, occupational self-efficacy, and job and life satisfaction. Decent work is related positively with job satisfaction. Person-supervisor and person-group fit seem to directly influence occupational self-efficacy. Decent work, in turn, seems to mediate the relationship between person-supervisor and person-group fit and job satisfaction. In conclusion, this study suggests that encouraging apprentices' proactivity, person-supervisor and person-group fit at work could be crucial to improving their perceptions of decent work and increasing their job and life satisfaction.

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Not all young people have equal access to decent education and employment opportunities. Career theories and education often focus on fostering self and career-awareness and preparing young people to fit into the world of work without considering the key role equity plays. The Psychology of Working Theory (PWT) recognises the obstacles faced by many at school and work when they experience ongoing economic constraints and marginalisation. This paper explains how PWT can be utilized to understand and contest the effects of inequality and marginalisation. It shares a vision of a transformative career education, which focuses on fostering critical consciousness, youth purpose and relational support.

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Amidst slowing economic growth, global labour markets have shown resilience in 2023. Global unemployment has dropped to the lowest level since the outbreak of the [COVID-19] pandemic and labour force participation has recovered in most regions. Despite these positive headline indicators, fragility has emerged in working conditions, and a cost-of-living crisis has arisen from fast-rising energy and food prices. Employment growth in 2024 is projected to falter even though global unemployment will remain broadly unchanged. Major decent work deficits, which to a large degree predate the pandemic, are set to persist under these conditions - especially gender participation gaps, working poverty, and informality.

This [report] provides a comprehensive assessment of labour imbalances that arose with the recovery from the pandemic and exist alongside persistent decent work deficits. It analyses global patterns, regional differences, and outcomes across groups of workers. The report also offers labour market projections for 2024 and 2025. Finally, it presents trends in labour force participation, hours worked and employment growth and analyses their contributions to labour market imbalances.

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The ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work, adopted by the International Labour Conference at its 108th Session (2019), calls on all ILO Member States to put in place 'policies and measures that ensure appropriate privacy and personal data protection, and respond to challenges and opportunities in the world of work relating to the digital transformation of work, including platform work'. The platform economy is one of the most significant manifestations of the changes induced by the digitalization of the world of work. The growth of this economy has opened up new markets for businesses and created new jobs and income opportunities, often with high flexibility and low barriers of access for workers. Consumers have also benefited from cheaper and more convenient goods and services, particularly in underserved areas. At the same time, the platform economy is also significantly transforming the ways work is organized and performed, with new challenges emerging in ensuring that workers on platforms have access to decent work.

The ILO Governing Body decided at its 341st Session (March 2021) 'to request the Office to convene a tripartite meeting of experts on the issue of 'decent work in the platform economy in the course of 2022'; the meeting took place in Geneva from 10 to 14 October 2022. At its 346th Session (October–November 2022), the Governing Body, having been informed of the results of the meeting of experts, decided to place on the agenda of the 113th Session (2025) of the Conference an item on decent work in the platform economy and requested the Office to present to the 347th Session (March 2023) of the Governing Body a normative gap analysis to inform its decision-making on the nature of the item to be placed on the agenda of the Conference. Finally, during its 347th Session (March 2023), the Governing Body, having taken note of the normative gap analysis that was conducted by the Office, decided to place on the agenda of the 113th Session (June 2025) a standard-setting item with a double-discussion procedure. In accordance with the Standing Orders of the International Labour Conference relating to a double discussion procedure, the Office has prepared this report which provides up-to-date information on platform work and the regulations and practices related to it from around the world. It is intended to inform the discussions at the Conference and to help Member States in responding to the appended questionnaire.

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The incidence of app-based gig work is expanding rapidly in developed global north countries. Many app-based gig workers are migrants from developing global south countries searching for a better life in their resettlement countries. App-based gig work, however, is insecure, irregular and potentially precarious. Access to decent work is vital for migrants' integration after resettlement and also their career development. In the context of the decent work agenda, this article explores the intersections of migration, app-based gig work, and southern migrants' career development in the global north and considers the implications for career practice and research.

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This report offers a comprehensive picture of the experience of workers, especially women on location-based and online platforms, drawing on surveys and interviews with some 1,850 workers in various sectors in Kenya. It also provides insights into the business model of the local digital labour platforms in Kenya, examines regulatory developments, and provides some recommendations to ensure that all platform work is decent work.

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