G20 performance on labour and employment
G20 leaders at the Rio Summit must strengthen labour commitments, focusing on gender, youth and the digital economy to achieve higher compliance and sustainable employment
In line with the Rio Summit’s theme of ‘Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet’, G20 leaders should focus on developing collaborative solutions to encourage more opportunities for inclusive, fair and sustainable employment for all who want it. As the digital economy continues to grow and the involvement of trade unions and employers’ organisations increases, G20 commitments and compliance must also reflect and address the effects that these changes will have on the labour market.
Deliberation
From 2008 to 2023, the G20 gave an average of 11% of its communiqués to employment at each summit. The 2008 Washington Summit dedicated 3% (91 words) to labour and employment. In 2009, this rose to 8% (494 words) in London and 12% (1,129 words) in Pittsburgh. It then lowered, but at the 2012 Los Cabos Summit rose to 19% (2,473 words), staying high at 17% (4,962) in St Petersburg in 2013.
Peaks followed, in Brisbane in 2014 with 31% (2,856 words), in Antalya in 2015 with 21% (2,878 words) and in Hangzhou in 2016 with 20% (3,178 words). It dropped to 15% in Hamburg in 2017, and continued to fall to 9% in Buenos Aires in 2018, reaching a low of 7% at the 2019 Osaka Summit. The 2020 Riyadh Summit saw a rise to 20%, but this lowered to 8% at the Rome Summit in 2021, 9% at the 2022 Bali Summit (1,236 words) and 8% (784 words) at the 2023 New Delhi Summit.
Decisions
G20 leaders made 189 commitments on labour and employment for an average of 5% across all subjects. The first such commitments were made in London in 2009 with four (3%), decreasing to three (2%) in Pittsburgh in 2009 and none at the 2010 Toronto Summit. The 2010 Seoul Summit made three (2%), followed by eight (3%) in 2011, 18 (10%) in 2012 and 30 (11%) in 2013. Brisbane in 2014 made 16 (9%). Then came 10 (6%) in 2015 and nine (4%) in 2016. Hamburg in 2017 had an all-time high of 25 (5%), followed by 16 (12%) in 2018. The number fell to
nine (6%) in 2019, to six (6%) in 2020, and to five (2%) in 2021. It then rose to 17 (8%) in 2022. The
2023 New Delhi Summit made 10 (4%).
Compliance
The G20 Research Group has measured members’ compliance with 28 labour commitments, which averaged 76%, above the G20’s overall average of 71%.
Compliance started at its lowest with 47% for London in 2009. It then rose to 78% for Seoul in 2010, dropping slightly to 74% for 2011. Compliance peaked at 100% for 2012. It declined but stayed high at 88% for 2013 and 82% for 2014. It dropped to 67% for 2015, and plunged further to 51% for 2016. For 2018, compliance was higher at 77%. It soared to 95% for 2019 and stayed high for 2020 with 83%. Another low came for 2021 with 48%. However, compliance rose again for 2022 to 80%.
Causes and corrections
Summits producing a higher number of labour commitments correlate with higher compliance. Of the 13 summits with assessed commitments, the eight-highest complying ones (individually with compliance above the 76% average) averaged 85% compliance and eight labour commitments per summit. The five lowest-complying summits averaged only 57% compliance and four labour commitments per summit.
Labour commitments linked to other subjects did not correlate with higher compliance. Of the commitments assessed, the seven labour commitments linked to gender averaged 63%, and the seven linked to youth averaged 74%. The two commitments linked to the digital economy averaged 59%.
Conclusion
To improve their performance, G20 leaders at the Rio Summit should make more labour commitments. They should also direct more resources to craft and support labour commitments that link to gender, youth and the digital economy. They should aim to increase, diversify and be specific in their commitments on labour and employment, including by referencing the International Labour Organization, as references to a core related international organisation have empirically resulted in compliance in other issue areas.
