All news for country
It’s World Day of safety and health at work!
The World Day for Safety and Health at Work (28 April) serves to raise awareness about occupational safety and health and gives us an opportunity to talk about the causes of work-related injuries, diseases, and fatalities, and measures to prevent them. This year, on Occupational Safety and Health Day, the focus is on the impact of climate change.
Staff news
Retrospective on challenges and successes - Interview with Markus Pilgrim, Director of ILO Central and Eastern Europe stepping down
Markus Pilgrim retires after long and successful service at the ILO. During his tenure as Director, the ILO Central and Eastern Europe Office managed to further raise its profile as a specialised technical agency on world of work issues and to expand its portfolio.
Trade unions
Workers’ rights in Europe in decline, says ITUC Global Rights Index 2023
In July 2023, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) released its 10th Global Rights Index. The report paints a grim picture of workers’ rights around the globe. According to ITUC, Europe is no longer a bastion of workers’ rights.
Decent working conditions
ILO and Sweden sign project extension to advance digitalisation of the Labour Inspection in Kosovo
On 6 April 2023, the ILO signed an agreement with Sweden for extending the project on improving occupational safety and health (OSH) in Kosovo* through the digitalization of the Labour Inspectorate. The project will run until March 2025.
Three essential questions
What are the proven means to reduce informality?
In our series of interviews with leading researchers, economists and policymakers, we interviewed Professor Ioana Alexandra Horodnic, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University of Iași, Romania on how informality (including “envelope wages”) affects workers and society, and what measures work best in reducing it.
ILO/Sweden Collaboration
Laying the foundation for safer workplaces in Kosovo
On the occasion of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2022 on April 28th the Embassy of Sweden in Kosovo and the ILO signed a project agreement on promoting safety at work in Kosovo.
Job creation in the Western Balkans
How nearshoring may create opportunities for the Western Balkan economies?
In this issue of short interviews with important researchers and practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe on burning questions concerning labour and social policies, we talked to Zuzana Zavarska, Economist at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies. We asked her to explain how nearshoring may create economic opportunities for the Western Balkans.
Latest labour survey data
Workers’ education level for their jobs: is it a match in South East Europe?
Many people are working in jobs that do not match their level of education. At the same time, many employers claim to have difficulties in finding workers with the skills that they need to expand their business and innovate successfully. This phenomenon points to a significant disconnect between the world of education and the world of work.
ILO/EU partnership
Youth Guarantee garners speed in the Western Balkans
Inspired by similar schemes in the EU Member States, a youth guarantee is a commitment to support every young person under the age of 30 who is not employed, in education or training (so-called NEETs). This commitment entitles young people to receive a good quality offer of employment, traineeship, apprenticeship, or continued education and training within four months of leaving school or becoming unemployed.
Labour rights infringed during the pandemic
Three essential questions to Aleksandar Ristovski, Professor of Labour Law, Skopje
In the third issue of short interviews with important researchers and practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe on burning questions concerning labour and social policies, we talked to Aleksandar Ristovski, Professor of Labour Law at ‘Ss. Cyril and Methodius’ University in Skopje, North Macedonia. We asked him about the restriction of labour rights following the COVID-19 crisis, particularly those of the most vulnerable, and about how to guarantee labour rights as we are building back better.
Job-rich recovery for women
Three Essential Questions: Interview with Réka Sáfrány, President of European Women's Lobby
This is the second issue of short interviews with important researchers and practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe on burning questions concerning labour and social policies. The interviewee this time is Réka Sáfrány, newly elected President of the European Women's Lobby. We asked her about women's labour participation in the region, why the pandemic hit women disproportionally and the most vulnerable within this group of workers.
International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour
One hour against child labour at schools in Kosovo
The ILO, together with the Ministry of Education, organized a campaign in the schools of Kosovo to raise awareness about child labour among school kids on 11 June, 2021, World Day Against Child Labour. The information kit for teachers was prepared with ILO support and all schools accross Kosovo were asked to to dedicate one lesson to the topic that day. At least 137,000 students from 309 schools participated to learn what child labour is, and how to help victims. The campaign was organized under a global ILO program against child labour (MAP’16) with support from the US Department of Labour.
Introducing a youth guarantee (YG) in the Western Balkans
The European Commission and the ILO join forces to support young people
A new EC/ILO Technical Assistance Facility set up to pursue youth employment in the Western Balkans.
Policy innovations responding to the pandemic
Three essential questions to Mihail Arandarenko, Professor at University of Belgrade, Faculty of Economics
Welcome to our first issue of short interviews with important researchers and practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe on burning questions concerning labour and social policies. The interviewee is Mihail Arandarenko, a leading researcher on labour markets and employment and social policies.
Labour standards
Kosovo*: Assessing gaps and identifying priority actions in safety and health at work
Kosovo has been accelerating its effort to develop its occupational safety and health (OSH) legislation and labour inspectorate that are in line with international and European labour standards. As a systematic approach towards achieving safe and health workplaces in Kosovo, an OSH Profile has been prepared by the ILO in the framework of the project ‘’Promoting Decent Work through Strengthening OSH Management and Social Dialogue,’’ managed by UNOPS and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) through the Embassy of Sweden in Pristina.
International Training Centre of the ILO
New challenges for TVET and skills development - what do you want to learn today?
The importance of learning new skills has never been as evident as in the last year. Almost overnight, all of the global workforce had to admit they faced challenges with their digital skills. We had to switch to new ways of managing work and doing business, of participating in learning and delivering education and training to young people and adults alike. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education and skills development systems has been profound. Teachers, coordinators and policy makers discovered the challenges, but also the opportunities of applying digital learning technologies.
Lifelong learning
Why Trade Unions should act on Skills Development – and how?
To build a ‘better normal’ in the post-COVID-19 world of work, skills development and lifelong learning need to be part of economic transformation. This responsibility should not reside with governments and companies alone. Trade Unions have an important role to play in shaping the professional development of workers at any age. A new, easy-to-use ILO Resource Guide illustrates how Trade Unions can engage more effectively in skills development policies and practices.
COVID-19 and the World of Work
ILO forecasts Western Balkan economies will lose 11.6 per cent hours worked in Q2 due to pandemic
ILO global estimates show that the COVID-19 crisis is causing an unprecedented reduction in economic activity and working time. The ILO estimates for quarter 2 indicate that the Western Balkans will lose 11.6 per cent of hours worked due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is equivalent to 810,000 employment losses in terms of full time posts (assuming 40 hours per week).
Support for workers, businesses and policy makers in the Western Balkans
ILO and EBRD joining forces in face of coronavirus pandemic
The ILO and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are joining forces to respond to the coronavirus crisis in the Western Balkans by advising national policy action to support workers and enterprises.
A network and online platform of labour law
Introducing CEELex, the labour legislation database for Central and Eastern Europe
The ILO recently launched CEELex which is the only searchable, English-language online database offering information on the national labour laws in Central and Eastern Europe. Established in 2015 to respond to an increasing demand of policy makers for technical advice on labour legislation, CEELex has recently gone public to reach a wider audience. The topics covered by the new online platform range from collective bargaining to working conditions (i.e. minimum wage, working hours), termination of employment contracts, labour dispute resolution, and non-standard forms of employment.