Work for a Brighter Future Seminar
The future of work was the topic of a Monash Business School seminar hosted by International Consortium for Research in Employment and Work (iCREW), Centre for Global Business (CGB).
Presented by Greg Vines, Deputy Director General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Geneva, Switzerland, Work for a Brighter Future: A View from the ILO, was attended by prominent people in this field. These included: Ross Fotheringham, Monash alum and former Minister (Special Labour Advisor) to the ILO; the Hon. Geoff Giudice AO, former President, of predecessors to the Fair Work Commission (FWC); the Hon. Joe Isaac AO, Emeritus Professor, Monash University and former Deputy President, of a predecessor to the FWC; other alumni; practitioners; academics and PhD students.
The ILO marks its centenary this year with the launch of the report of its Global Commission on the “Future of Work”. The Commission, co-chaired by South African President Ramaphosa and Sweden’s Prime Minister Lofven, calls for a commitment to taking a human-centred approach for growth and development, one that places people and the work they do at the centre of economic and social policy making.
Monash Business School has contributed to the discussion through the Centre for Global Business and the work of several of its professors including Greg Bamber, Chongwoo Choe, Fang Lee Cooke and Richard Mitchell.
“The Global Commission on the Future of Work promotes social justice and must guide us when shaping the future of work. We need to look at it from the perspective of people not from the perspective of technology,” Mr Vines says.
The Global Commission focused on the conceptual framework and the issues they consider important – the effects of demographic market, the effects of technological change and the pressing need to put an end to gender inequality and allow women to fully participate in the labour market.
The ILO proposes a series of actions under the pillars of investing in people and their capabilities, investing in the institutors of work and investing in jobs of the future.
Greg Vines presented the report and what it means for the work of the ILO at a time of high levels of uncertainty about the future,
“We need to shape the future for decent work and social justice, in particular. Meaningful work is at the heart of the human life experience of each of us,” Mr Vines said.
The report lists three pillars of investment for human-centred development agenda for the future of work: increasing investment in people’s skill and capabilities so they can take advantages of the opportunities ahead. Secondly, increasing investments in the institutions of work and finally to increase investment in descent and sustainable work.
To what extent does University research inform the work the ILO does? “Academics and universities are critical. We are a small organisation and we rely on the networks and the work that is done at places like Monash Business School.,” Mr Vines says “As we move into the global implementation of the report there will be a great deal more research that Monash and others will be involved with to improve the future of work.”