The Future of Work Podcast
Episodes
How is generative AI reshaping gender inequalities at work?
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, Anam Butt, technical specialist on gender equality and non-discrimination at the International Labour O...
Global employment in 2026: A fragile stability
22 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, we unpack the ILO’s new Employment and Social Trends 2026 report with its lead author, Stefan Kühn, ...
Social Summit for Development: What it means for the world of work
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode of the ILO Future of Work’s special series on the Second World Summit for Social Development examines the implications of the Summit’...
Can the Doha Summit revive global social justice?
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, the ILO's Claire Courteille-Mulder explains why the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha ...
Social development: progress made and promises to be fulfilled
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ahead of the World Summit for Social Development, the ILO is launching a special podcast series. In this first episode, Sabina Alkire of Oxford Univer...
How advancing social justice can shape the future of work
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, ILO Research and Publications Director Caroline Fredrickson explains what the ILO’s new report on soc...
Why paternity leave matters: lessons from Oman and beyond
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, the ILO’s Laura Addati and Omani representative Khadija Al Mawali explain the impact of the parental ...
How Europe can adapt to an ageing population
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Future of Work podcast, ILO economists Sabrina de Gobbi and Stefan Kühn explore what a shrinking European labour force means f...
How rural youth are redefining agriculture in Africa
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to empower rural youth in Africa’s agriculture sector? In this episode of the ILO’s Future of Work podcast, we hear from Clara K...
The Maritime Labour Convention - what we can learn
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Maritime Labour Convention – or MLC, 2006 - is a living example of the central role that effective social dialogue plays in shaping labour stand...
The Second World Summit for Social Development - what is at stake?
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This Future of Work podcast, recorded live from the 113th International Labour Conference, examines the key issues on the agenda of the upcoming Secon...
Sustainable Development Goal 8 and the 2030 deadline - what needs to be done?
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This Future of Work podcast, recorded at the 113th International Labour Conference, looks at how to speed up progress on Sustainable Development Goal ...
Just transitions and the world of work - how can governments lead the way?
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the world moves towards greener economies, the global shift to renewable energy and climate-resilient development raises urgent questions about fai...
Artificial intelligence, innovation and the world of work
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode of the Future of Work podcast, recorded live at the 113th International Labour Conference, explores how digitalization and artificial int...
Turning sustainability into opportunities for employers and workers
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the ILO’s Future of Work podcast, recorded live from the 113th International Labour Conference in Geneva, we explore how workers’...
How AI, robots and other cutting-edge technologies can keep workers safe and sound
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Can artificial intelligence, robots and surveillance protect workers on the job? Yes, according to the latest report from the International Labour Org...
The impact of generative AI on jobs in Latin America
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Generative AI is transforming jobs in Latin America, but who benefits, and who gets left behind? Pawel Gmyrek from the ILO and Hernan Winkler from the...
Global employment trends: Challenges and opportunities for 2025
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ekkehard Ernst, author of the ILO report: "World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2025", joins the Future of Work podcast to discuss how geopolit...
Industrial symbiosis: an engine for green jobs and growth?
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Industrial symbiosis is an approach to the circular economy through which businesses work together to utilize waste and by-products created by their p...
Why social protection is essential to shield the most vulnerable from the climate crisis
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How can social protection help those most vulnerable to the worst impacts of climate change? To discuss the issue, we are joined by Kumi Naidoo, a lo...
Youth employment: Why are anxieties among young people growing even as youth unemployment rates fall?
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
According to a new ILO report, youth unemployment figures have recovered to pre-pandemic levels, but, in apparent contradiction, young people worldwid...
The Paralympics: what are the challenges facing athletes with disabilities?
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Competing at the Paralympics requires extraordinary time and dedication, so how do Paralympic athletes balance the demands of sporting excellence with...
Paris 2024 – Creating social change through a decent work Olympics
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Olympic and Paralympic games are not just major a sporting festival, they are also a massive procurement, construction and employment project. Thi...
Want to be an entrepreneur? How to do it right
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Running your own business can be a dream, a route to independence and a way out of poverty. But successful entrepreneurship isn’t easy, without the ...
Heat: a silent killer at work
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The rising temperatures associated with climate change mean more people are experiencing heat stress at work, with potentially fatal consequences. ILO...
ILO Director-General: What to expect at the 2024 International Labour Conference
31 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ahead of the opening of the 112th International Labour Conference on June 3, the ILO’s Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo joins the Future of Work...
How can macroeconomics answer the call for greater social justice?
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this Future of Work podcast, the ILO’s Richard Samans and economic historian Lord Robert Skidelsky discuss how we can begin to transform macroeco...
Who’s making money from forced labour?
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Forced labour is not just a brutal abuse of fundamental human rights, but it also generates hundreds of billions of dollars in criminal business profi...
How young refugees are using skills and entrepreneurship to find independence
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For many young people finding that first job can be hard. For those who are also refugees it can seem like an insurmountable challenge. We talk to Mas...
The social justice challenge for African youth
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
February 20th is World Day of Social Justice on the UN calendar. But what is social justice? Why does it matter for the youth in Africa? Discover what...
Is Generative AI the answer to low productivity?
05 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
New research shows that Generative AI tools can substantially increase productivity in certain mid and high-skilled work, like for instance in science...
The rise of AI in China – Digital technologies and their regulation
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The ILO's Future of Work podcast looks at trends in digital technologies and their regulation in China, and explores what impact this is having on the...
Should we treat the care economy as an investment or a cost?
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Demand for care already outstrips supply and is expected to increase significantly in the future. Now, new ILO research suggests that spending on care...
Workplace mental health: It’s ok not to be ok
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One in five employees will experience mental illness in their lifetime. Find out in the ILO Future of Work podcast, the four steps that employers can ...
Job quality or job quantity – which will AI affect most?
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The effects of Generative AI on employment creation and destruction are much discussed, but what will the effects be on job quality, and where will th...
Should retirement be retired? The pros and cons of older workers
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The global population is getting older. At the same time employers complain they can’t find the workers or skills they need, and governments worry a...
The value of free money
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How would you react to being given money on a regular basis, with no strings attached? And how might this change you, your family or the wider communi...
Green jobs: A solution to youth employment and the climate crisis?
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Green jobs can help tackle the climate crisis and the labour market challenges faced by young people. So what exactly are green jobs? And what can you...
Fighting human trafficking in an era of crisis – how can we do better?
28 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Global crises, conflicts, socio-economic inequalities, migration and the climate emergency are increasing the risk of human trafficking. What can be ...
Does Artificial Intelligence threaten decent work?
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The world of work has always been shaped by technology, but the new generation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has raised fears that it could destroy ...
Heat stress – how are we going to live with it?
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The summer of 2023 is recording some of the highest temperature on record, for our entire planet. This has enormous consequences for the world of work...
Is domestic work care work?
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Following the COVID-19 pandemic many countries are re-evaluating the status, pay and conditions of their care workers. So, why are domestic workers, w...
Writing the rules of the game – how international labour standards are created
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
International labour standards are at the heart of the ILO’s mandate and play an essential role in creating fair business competition and combatting...
When race holds you back in the workplace
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
While overt racism in the workplace may be a thing of the past, systemic racism, microaggressions and biases mean it is far from being a level playing...
Is an algorithm your next hiring manager?
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The latest Future of Work podcast explores the challenges and opportunities of using Artificial Intelligence during the recruitment process.
Artificial Intelligence and the world of work – should we be scared?
28 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial intelligence, or AI, isn’t a tool for the future, it’s already here, creating, destroying and re-shaping jobs and business practices. S...
After Rana Plaza: How has safety improved for garment workers?
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The collapse of the Rana Plaza building in the outskirts of Dhaka on 24 April 2013 resulted in the deaths of over 1,100 people – mostly garment work...
Why are key workers undervalued?
17 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID-19 crisis showed how much we all rely on key workers, yet it also exposed the poor working conditions they often face. How can we ensure tha...
Can digital technology be an equality machine?
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As workplaces transition towards a digital future, we see the gender gap perpetuating itself in the digital realm as well. On International Women’s ...
Tackling the productivity challenge
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Low levels of productivity are making it more difficult for countries and regions to escape from the current mix of social and economic challenges. Ho...
ILO Director-General – Why we need greater social justice
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On World Day of Social Justice, the ILO’s Director-General, Gilbert F Houngbo, explains why policymakers must prioritize social justice or risk fuel...
How can we protect the quality of jobs?
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Global labour markets are facing serious, interlinked challenges. Issues such as the growth in informality and working poverty, slowing employment gro...
Working time and work-life balance
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Working time issues have been at the heart of the ILO since its foundation in 1919. Since then the world of work has changed radically, but ideas abou...
Labour migration and diverse gender identities
16 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Migration gives workers in South-East Asia with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expression (SOGIE) the opportunity to seek a better...
COP27 – What progress for the world of work?
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As we transition to a greener economy, how do we ensure that workers are not left behind? What actions need to be taken to achieve a just transition? ...
What’s the story on labour rights in Qatar?
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the run up to the FIFA World Cup, the eyes of the world are on Qatar, the first Middle East country to host the global football tournament. Yet muc...
Living to dance and dancing to live
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The career of a professional dancer appears glamorous, but it is also precarious. Dancers begin training intensively when young, when others are focus...
Mental health and the workplace
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Research by the ILO and the WHO has found that billions of working days – and so billions of dollars - are lost every year because of work-related m...
Modern slavery is unseen because it's convenient
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sophie Otiende, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery, and Grace Forrest, Founding Director of Walk Free, join the ILO's Fu...
Wagner Moura: How to advocate for social change and end slavery
22 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
August 23 is the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. Slavery is a clear human rights violation that has no pla...
Can Ethiopia rebuild its COVID-19 damaged tourism sector?
15 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From archaeological and heritage sites to conservation parks, and music and cultural festivals, Ethiopia boasts a wide array of tourist attractions. H...
Is there a place for grief at work?
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Lizzie Pickering's young son Harry died in 2000, she embarked on a journey to understand grief, how to live with it and how to help other people ...
What can the social and solidarity economy do for recovery?
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
These are uncertain times. Inflation has returned. A post-COVID recovery is under threat. These problems will need innovative solutions. One option...
The Serious Business of Happiness at Work
13 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Does it matter if people are happy at work? Or should they just be satisfied with reasonable pay and conditions and not expect more? It’s well-esta...
Can you really afford not to invest in diversity and inclusion?
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Each year, discrimination at work around gender identity, ethnicity, disability, race, religion or sexual orientation cost millions of dollars to our ...
Why investing in care is about equality
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Effective and comprehensive care systems not only support fundamental rights and human dignity, they also help people maximise their potential and the...
How to make the informal formal?
18 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
More than 60 per cent of the world’s adult labour force, or about 2 billion workers, work in the informal economy. They are not recognized, register...
The universe still has the capacity to surprise us
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There is an enormous demand for scientific skills in the world of work. But if not enough women are inspired and encouraged to study science, they ris...
Digitizing a company also means changing its culture
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The pandemic accelerated the digitalization of small businesses, which had to adapt very quickly to the new circumstances. But going digital goes beyo...
Is the menopause a workplace issue?
07 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Traditionally the menopause has been an almost invisible issue, regarded as a medical or personal matter for women and their families only. But women ...
Why growth in wage inequality is a problem for us all
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Research has found that the COVID-19 crisis has made many existing world-of-work inequalities worse and exposed new ones. A particularly significant t...
Rural women don’t want charity, they want to feel empowered
13 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Every year, on 15 October, the world celebrates the International Day of Rural Women, recognizing the critical role played by women in rural areas. Th...
The future is already here
30 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What has been the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on women or migrant workers? Have we taken a step back on the progress made in recent years in terms o...
Left-handed workers in a right-handed world
12 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
About 10 per cent of people are left handed, yet the world of work is overwhelmingly set up for right-handers. There are also numerous examples – hi...
How digital labour platforms can provide decent jobs for young refugees
12 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Digital labour platforms can transform how young refugees make a living. But the unequal spread of internet connectivity, inequalities in digital skil...
Making domestic work decent work in South Africa
02 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Convention No. 189 defines domestic work as work performed in or for a household or households, within an employment relationship and on an occupation...
Neuro-diversity and the workplace – positive or negative?
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It is widely agreed that we need to improve diversity in the workplace and research shows that diverse workplaces are more motivated, more innovative,...
Why we need to invest now in resilient occupational safety and health systems
29 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Safety and Health in the workplace has been massively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As we mark World Day for Safety and Health and Work, Manal Az...
Zimbabwe’s green economy trailblazers
23 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For Sub-Saharan African countries the challenges of climate change come alongside more long-standing development issues. However, the shift to a green...
The role of digital labour platforms in transforming the world of work
30 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The growth of digital labour platforms is presenting opportunities and challenges for workers and businesses around the world. Uma Rani, Senior Econo...
Can technology create a more equitable future of work?
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Technology will be one of the key drivers shaping the future of work, but will it encourage decent work and social justice or fuel inequality and inse...
Telework: Wild ride or win-win?
05 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a sudden explosion in the number of people who telework, even in jobs that no one would have imagined it possible to do. ...