Remote work helped during COVID: ILO report

Subject :Economy

Context

Short-time work and work-sharing measures or other forms of job retention helped to reduce the volume of work and save jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, said a report of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The report, titled Working Time and Work-Life Balance Around the World, said flexible working hours enabled individuals as well as companies, enterprises and industries to collectively reduce the hours of work, a trend already generated before the crisis.
The crisis also created the possibility of increasing the hours of work for new economic bottleneck areas, such as in the healthcare or pharmaceutical industries.
The report looked at the working hours and working time arrangements and the effects of both on business performance and employees’ work-life balance.
It found that a substantial portion of the global workforce are working either long or short hours when compared to a standard eight-hour day/40 hour working week.

International Labor Organization

It is the only tripartite United Nation (UN) agency.
It brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 member States (India is a member), to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men.
Received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1969.
Established in 1919 by the Treaty of Versailles as an affiliated agency of the League of Nations.
Became the first affiliated specialized agency of the UN in 1946.
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
Important Reports : Global Wage Report, Social Dialogue Report, World Social Protection Report, World Employment and Social Outlook : Trends, etc.

Eight Core Conventions of the ILO