U.N. International Labour Organization: Guy Ryder to Attend G20 Meeting in Japan

GENEVA, Switzerland, Aug. 30 -- The International Labour Organization issued the following news release:

ILO Director-General Guy Ryder will attend the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting in Japan , where he will discuss issues ranging from the future of care work to international governance of digital labour platforms.

Ryder will address several thematic sessions during the event, and discuss a range of future of work issues, including responses to demographic changes, gender equality and approaches to new work patterns. The meeting is being held on September 1 and 2 in Matsuyama.

Issues linked to the care sector, including its job creation potential and the need to address major gender imbalances in the sector, will be a focus in the discussions. Long-term care is a major issue in several G20 countries, which have rapidly ageing populations.

The ILO estimates that the long-term care sector can create almost 51 million new jobs with decent working conditions by 2030, if sufficient investment is made by G20 countries in quality care services. This would also help to remove one of the key barriers to women's participation in employment, by offering formal employment opportunities to women who currently provide unpaid care to family members.

Ryder will also address the issue of international governance of digital labour platforms, where workers are spread throughout the world, often far away from the countries from where the platforms or the clients are located.

The ILO's Global Commission on the Future of Work has called for the "development of an international governance system for digital labour platforms that sets and requires platforms (and their clients) to respect certain minimum rights and protections".