Effective Employment Policies

The online course Effective Employment Policies, developed by the Employment Policy and Analysis Programme of the International Training Centre of the ILO in close collaboration with the ILO Employment Policy Department (EMPLOYMENT), equipped participants with the insights and tools necessary at each step of the policy cycle of comprehensive employment policy frameworks that respond to the complex challenges of our era and with a robust understanding of how to foster economic resilience and inclusive job-rich growth.

OBJECTIVES

The main objective of the course was to strengthen the capacities of policymakers, including social partners, to design and implement comprehensive policy employment frameworks.

By exposing participants to an appropriate combination of theoretical insights, hands-on

experiences and knowledge sharing, the course allowed them to:

• Understand what the constraints in labour markets are and what hinders economies from creating the jobs needed to achieve full and productive employment and

  decent work for all;

• Become familiar with the key aspects of designing and implementing comprehensive and effective employment policies that address both short-term and structural employment challenges;

• Analyse the different elements constituting a gender-responsive comprehensive employment policy framework within the policy cycle, from employment services to macroeconomic frameworks;

• Understand the role of social dialogue in crafting comprehensive coherent and wellcoordinated policies that fit national realities and are adapted to the current and future realities;

• Take stock of current good practices and adjust them to the national context of the participating countries.

CONTENT
The course consisted of six Modules, whose content responded to the following issues:

Module 1: Effective and comprehensive employment policies – an introduction

• What are the labour market challenges and why are they so persistent?

• What do we mean by comprehensive employment policy frameworks?

• What are key features of a successful employment policy process, and the employment policy cycle?

• What information do we need to make them work?

Module 2: Gender-responsive comprehensive employment policy frameworks for structural transformation

• What do we mean by structural transformation and why do gender-responsive employment policies matter? What is the role of macro-policies in fostering employment-friendly structural transformation?

• How to address the different drivers of change, including digitalisation, climate change, demographic shifts, and globalisation, as well as challenges such as informality?

• Which are the sectors to invest in to address gender and other inequalities in the labour market? What are the roles and responsibilities within a whole-of-society approach?

Module 3: Design of effective employment policies

• What are the detailed steps of the policy cycle, and especially of the formulation phase?

• How should an employment policy be structured?

• Why do we need strong diagnostics for sound policy formulation? How to achieve evidence-based policymaking?

• What role do labour market information systems play in the policy cycle?

Module 4: Social dialogue and meaningful engagement of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups

• Why and how can social dialogue help in creating decent work?

• How can we engage the most vulnerable groups?

• What are the examples of social dialogue for the formulation of employment policies?

Module 5: The role of Public Employment Services in the implementation of effective employment policies

• What is the role of Public Employment Services in supporting employment policy implementation? What type of active labour market measures can be considered?

• What defines an effective Public Employment Service?

• How can digitalisation affect the action of Public Employment Services?

Module 6: Implementation of employment policies

• What are some lessons learned from policy implementation in various countries?

• What are tools available for the implementation of comprehensive employment policy frameworks? How can a whole-of-government approach be reached?

• What is pro-employment budgeting? What about financing the implementation of a comprehensive employment policy framework?

• What do we mean by employment impact assessment and why is it so important?
  
  
  

NUMBER OF HOURS: 24 hours