How measuring and monitoring decent work ? The ILO methodology and related tools

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How measuring and monitoring decent work ? The
ILO methodology and related tools
Coffi Agossou Naïma Pagès (ILO)
agossou_at_ilo.org pages_at_ilo.org Training
Workshop on database management and analysis on
decent work Johanesburg,10-12 December 2013

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OUTLINE

• Why decent work indicators are important ?
• The ILO global framework for the measurement of
  Decent Work
• The global methodology presented in the Manual
  Monitoring and Assessing Decent Work. Lessons
  learned from MAP project (a step-by-step guidance
  from pilot-countries experience and best
  practices)
• The Manual on Decent Work Indicators based on ISS
  (concepts/definitions, sources, methods)
• The Guidelines on Assessing progress on Decent
  work (a practical guide with concrete examples)

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Decent work as key means for sustainable
development

• Decent Work as key means of achieving equitable,
  inclusive and sustainable development
• Decent Work refers to opportunities for women
  and men to obtain work in conditions of freedom
  equity security and human dignity
• Work that delivers a fair income, provides
  security in the workplace and social protection
  for workers and their families gives workers
  freedom to express their concerns, to organize
  and to participate in decisions that affect their
  lives.
• ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair
  Globalization (2008) endorses Decent Work Agenda
  (i) rights at work, (ii) employment ,(iii) social
  protection (iv) social dialogue
• The Declaration recommends that ILO Member states
  may consider the establishment of appropriate
  indicators or statistics, if necessary with the
  assistance of the ILO, to monitor and evaluate
  the progress made

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Why statistics and indicators on decent work are
important?

• Sound measurement of decent work helps to
  transform the Decent Work Agenda from a political
  ambition to concrete action quantifiable
  outcomes

The ILO conceptual framework 71 Statistical
Indicators 21 Legal Indicators All aspects of
decent work All workers National sources

• Decent work indicators to be adapted to national
  circumstances and used to monitor
• Decent Work Country/Regional Programmes
• National Development Policies

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The ILO conceptual framework a key reference

• Main question
• How decent work can be measured and
  monitored in practice, since decent work is a
  wide-ranging concept with both quantitative and
  qualitative components?
• The ILO conceptual framework a set of indicators
  that can be adapted to national circumstances 4
  principles
• Both quantitative and the qualitative dimensions
  are considered statistical and legal framework
  indicators
• Need to interpret decent work indicators within
  the social, demographic and economic context
• Definitions based on international standards
• Flexible framework to respond to national
  requirements

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The ILO conceptual framework a key reference

• 10 substantive elements covering the four
  decent work dimensions
• employment opportunities (11 statistical
  indicators, 2 legal indicators)
• adequate earnings and productive work (7
  statistical indicators, 1 legal indicator)
• decent working time (5 statistical indicators, 2
  legal indicators)
• combining work, family and personal life (2
  statistical indicators, 2 legal indicators)
• work that should be abolished (5 statistical
  indicators, 2 legal indicators)
• stability and security of work (4 statistical
  indicators, 1 legal indicator)
• equal opportunity and treatment in employment (8
  statistical indicators, 2 legal indicators)
• safe work environment (4 statistical indicators,
  2 legal indicators)
• social security (8 statistical indicators, 3
  legal indicators)
• social dialogue (5 statistical indicators, 3
  legal indicators)
• the economic and social context for decent work
  (12 statistical indicators, 3 legal indicators)

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Structure of the Measurement Framework on Decent
Work

• Grouping of indicators under 10 substantive
  elements of the DW Agenda

1. Employment opportunities (1 2)
6. Stability and security of work (1, 2 3)
2. Adequate earnings and productive work (1 3)
7. Equal opportunity and treatment in employment
(1, 2 3)
8. Safe work environment (1 3)
3. Decent working time (1 3)
4. Combining work, family and personal life (1
3)
9. Social security (1 3)
10. Social dialogue, workers and employers
representation (1 4)
5. Work that should be abolished (1 3)
Plus one area on economic and social context
11. Economic and social context for decent work
Note (1) Rights at work (2) Employment
opportunities (3) Social Protection (4) Social
Dialogue
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The global methodology on monitoring and
assessing progress on decent work

• The ILO framework has been tested in
  pilot-countries from 2009 to 2013 global
  methodology developed from pilot-countries
  experience and best practices
• Decent Work Country Profiles developed all over
  the world as national assessments of progress
  made over the last decade, in line with DWCPs,
  from the ILO framework
• The ILO/EC MAP project (2009-2013) ILO framework
  tested in 9 countries - Bangladesh, Cambodia,
  Niger, Zambia, Indonesia, Peru, Philippines,
  Ukraine, Brazil- Profiles, Guidelines and
  Manuals developed under MAP
• Profiles in Africa Zambia, Namibia, South
  Africa, Tanzania, and Niger available at
  www.ilo.org/mdw and www.ilo.org/map
• Manual from MAP lessons learned global
  methodology to strengthen national capacities to
  monitor and assess progress towards decent work,
  as requested by ILO constituents

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The Manual from lessons learned of MAP project
(2013)

• Purpose Intended as a pragmatic tool to provide
  a step-by-step guidance with concrete examples
  and best practices
• Intended users National partners, social
  partners, policy makers, development agencies
• Provides a common understanding on the process on
  monitoring and assessing decent work at the
  national level
• Methodology designed to be both internationally
  relevant and flexible in its application
  (country/regional level)

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The main steps for monitoring decent work
Identification of Decent Work indicators through
tripartite consultations National social
partners agree on a comprehensive list of
indicators Definitions, disaggregation level, and
main sources are identified
Data collection - National Statistical Office
develops and maintains surveys to collect data on
decent work statistics, esp. LFS - Ministry of
Labour/Employment, social security agencies, key
sector ministries, workers and employers
organisations develop/maintain administrative
records
National assessments of decent work (country
profiles) Information on the main progress and
deficits over a given period, on the basis of the
selected DW indicators and trends  
Policy making and monitoring National social
partners define priority policy areas (DW
deficits) for designing priority policies and
selecting targets for monitoring through social
dialogue      
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The Manual from lessons learned of MAP project
(2013)

• Three questions
• 1 how to identify decent work indicators
  relevant to national needs and circumstances?
• 2 what are the main data collection challenges?
  What are the main sources and how national data
  collection instruments can be upgraded?
• 3 how to prepare national assessments on decent
  work and how the main results can be used in
  policy-making through social dialogue?

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Sep 1. How to identify decent work indicators?

• The selection of indicators should be the
  outcome of a tripartite consultation process
• Tripartite consensus is needed for ensuring
  (1) credibility and legitimacy of data and
  conclusions of country assessments (2)
  ownership and sustainability of the process
• Strong institutional coordination mechanisms are
  essential
• Ministries of labour and employment, should
  take a strong lead in coordinating the process of
  developing decent work indicators -with other
  line ministries, workers and employers
  organisations and national statistical offices-

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Step 2. What are the main data sources?

• Key statistical instruments to measure decent
  work
• The majority of decent work indicators (60
  to 70) are compiled from household-based labour
  force surveys other sources are also used
  administrative records, census, establishment
  surveys, specific surveys...
• No single source all available information
  shall be used, by considering quality, coverage
  and sampling issues.
• Major challenge quality, frequency and scope of
  data available, in particular from administrative
  sources

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Step 2. Guiding principles for data collection

• Conducting regular labour force surveys is
  considered a key prerequisite for sustainability
  of the process
• Government efforts to strenghten data collection
  instruments - LFS, administrative records - are
  needed, to enhance quality, coverage and
  frequency of data
• Effective coordination of national statistical
  systems
• Integrated LMIS is essential to ensure
  accessibility and sustainability of the
  measurement and the monitoring of decent work

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Step 3. How to analyse the decent work indicators?

• For an integrated analysis
• - the decent work indicators are analysed
  all together rather than individually
• - data trends are interpreted within the
  social and economic context
• - trends of statistical indicators are
  analysed with information on the legal and
  policy framework, including rights at work
• - indicators disaggregated for different
  population groups
• See Guidelines Assessing progress on decent work

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Step 3. Country Profiles for policy making

• Decent work country profiles as major
  inputs for policy-making
• National planning, programming and targeting
• - Priority areas (main deficits on decent
  work)
• -Target indicators (baseline information
  and indicators)
• Evidence-based social dialogue among national
  stakeholders
• Reference for review of existing laws, policies,
  and institutional arrangements
• Advocacy tool for enhancing national data
  collection instruments

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Three important tools to support the process of
measuring and monitoring decent work

• Three technical tools for the 3 steps described
  in the Manual Monitoring and Assessing Decent
  Work. Lessons learned from the MAP project
• 1 Manual on Decent Work Indicators concepts and
  definitions, method of computation, data sources,
  metadata and interpretation guidelines (2013)
• 2 Labour Force Survey Toolkit guidance on
  questionnaire design, data processing and
  tabulation (forthcoming)
• 3 Guidelines on Assessing Progress towards
  Decent Work at the national level guidance on
  analysing decent work indicators together in
  national contexts and for different population
  groups as part of the process of developing
  country profiles, including checklists and
  concrete examples (2013)

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Manual on Decent Work Indicators

• Purpose Intended as a pragmatic tool to provide
  a basic understanding of how to define and
  interpret statistical and legal framework decent
  work indicators
• Intended users Both users and producers of
  statistical and legal framework decent work
  indicators
• Manual launch MAP global meeting in June 2012
  (First Version) ICLS in October 2013 (Second
  version)
• Manual is divided into 11 chapters
• Each chapter devoted to a substantive element of
  DW (10 elements of DW Socio-economic context)
  5 sections in each chapter

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Structure of the Manual on Decent Work
Indic ators

• The 11 chapters of the Manual are divided into
  five sections

(1) Measurement objective and rationale
(2) Method of computation
(3) Concepts and definitions
(4) Recommended data sources, metadata and
disaggregations
(5) Interpretation guidelines
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Guidelines on Assessing Progress towards Decent
Work (2013)

• Purpose Intended as a pragmatic tool to provide
  guidance on how analysing decent work indicators
  (statistical and legal) all together, within
  national contexts and across different population
  groups.for preparing national assessments on
  progress towards decent work
• Intended users national stakeholders, social
  partners, policy makers users and producers of
  statistics and analysis on decent work
• Include concrete examples to illustrate important
  issues on analysing decent work indicators

www.ilo.org/map
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Decent Work Country Profiles

• The Zambia experience
• Decent Work Country Profile (2012), launched in
  January 2013
• Main trends on decent work from national sources
  (LCMS, LFS Census Adm. data)
• A key input for the new Z-DWCP
• A key advocacy tool
• to mainstream employment and decent work into the
  SNDP and national policies
• to raise data collection issues into national
  debates in November 2013 the Zambia National
  Assembly/Committee of Economics affairs asked for
  regular data to monitor jobs creation and
  sustainable jobs and for developing as sound LMIS

www.ilo.org/map (countries/Zambia)
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• Thank you for your attention !
• Manuals, Guidelines and Country Profiles
• available at
• www.ilo.org/map
• www.ilo.org/statistics