The Future of Work

The Special Meeting of the Economic and Social Council on the Future of Work was held between January 23rd and January 24, 2024, at the Headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile. 

Labor markets are undergoing unprecedented transformation due to technological advancement, global economic integration, and the green transition. While rapid changes in the labor market can garner significant benefits, adaptation can be a difficult process.  

These global trends and institutional and policy changes have benefited some sectors of the labor market while creating disruption in others, particularly for the most vulnerable groups, including low-skilled workers and those in the informal sector.  

Gender gaps and barriers to women’s full and equal participation in the world of work still persist, and the growth of the informal sector has resulted in precarious employment and limited access to social protection.  

This meeting targeted the following objectives, which served as an opportunity to discuss policy recommendations:

• Harness the opportunities that changes in the labour market bring and manage the challenges they pose to decent work;
• Explore the opportunities and limitations of technological advances and digitalization, including AI, and its impacts on the labour market while addressing the challenges of the digital divide; 
• Identify policy options for advancing skills acquisition to build resilience and increase adaptation to labour transitions, with a view to accelerating progress on the SDGs; 
• Distill targeted efforts toward vulnerable groups such as women, youth and migrants.

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Source: UN ECOSOC