Symposium presentation from Mr Dragan – ILO

What is at stake?
Small Matters: Small economic units employ 70% of global workforce, but struggle with productivity, informality and decent work.
Productivity growth has been slowing in most countries in the last decade, little progress of global convergence in productivity, digitalization did not “fulfill its promise” and wages are not keeping up with growth in labour productivity.
Global pandemic: In 2020 estimated 250 million jobs lost globally. Health, economic and social crisis.

What can we do?
Do different things or do things differently
Challenge our own orthodoxies
Be open to take risks and innovate
Form new strategic partnerships and…
Productivity SA: “take crisis as opportunity to re-imagine and re-design our economic and Labour Market Systems, finding innovative ways and initiatives to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of our enterprises…”.

Productivity Ecosystem for Decent Work – concept

  • Macro level: structural transformation, industrial policy, solid public policy focusing on improving business environment, investments in people (health, education) and Infrastructure (physical and digital), social dialogue
  • Meso level: Understanding market conditions of particular industry, standards, support functions, state of social dialogue, business linkages, skills, end markets
  • Micro level: Common barriers faced by many enterprises e.g. management practices, OSH, working conditions, business processes etc.

Productivity Ecosystem for Decent Work – project

  • Macro level: policy analysis and advice: comprehensive employment policy, transition to formality, enabling business environment, social dialogue, well functioning labour institutions, MW, capacity building of social partners, productivity measurement, national productivity strategy, strategic partnership e.g. OECD, UNCTAD, UNIDO
  • Meso level: Sector selection, Analysis of value chain, support functions and regulations. Understanding root causes of poor productivity and working conditions, Enterprise profiling (MSA and other analysis). Recommend and test interventions
  • Micro level: Based on enterprise profiling, market needs and ILO experience with tools such as SCORE, tailor –made the enterprise tools that would enhance productivity and working conditions in particular sub-sector. Capacity building of relevant partners etc