Measuring decent work

the workplace and social protection for workers and their families.
There are several institutions and people that rely heavily on the Labour Market Information System and these include job seekers, employers, investors, policy makers and academics.
Without LMIS it would be difficult for a country to fulfill its reporting obligations to the International Labour Organisation, particularly where statistical data is required. It is therefore imperative that every country, Zimbabwe included, develop a mechanism through which quantitative LMIS is collected, stored, analysed and disseminated. Labour markets in Southern Africa have changed over the years due to a number of factors.
These include the forces of trade liberalisation, privatisation, deregulation and globalisation of economies in the region. Advances in technology, new systems of production and organisation of work and lately brain drain have also magnified this.
How is decent work measured? How does Zimbabwe fare in the decent work agenda? Decent Work programme offers better prospects for personal development and social integration. It delivers freedom to express concerns, organise and participate in decisions that affect workers lives, as well as equality of opportunity and treatment for all.
The ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalisation (2008) endorses the Decent Work Agenda as main objectives of the organisation’s work.
The strategic objectives are fundamental principles and rights at work, promoting employment, social protection, social dialogue and tripartism.
The objectives recommend that ILO members may consider establishment of appropriate indicators or statistics. They may seek assistance of the ILO to monitor and evaluate the progress made.
The ILO has worked on measurement of Decent Work since the year 2000. Measurement of DWP implies coverage of the DWA (beyond employment), coverage of all workers, cross-cutting and specific concerns for gender as well as importance of social and economic context.
The ILO Governing Body discussions have set the basic principles for measurement of Decent Work Programme. The purpose is to assist constituents to assess progress towards decent work and to offer comparable information for analysis and policy development.
There is need to cover all dimensions of Decent Work by going beyond employment and including rights, social protection and social dialogue.
The GB mandates the tripartite meeting of experts to provide guidance for measuring decent work.
It stresses importance of worker rights and recommends providing systematic information on rights at work and legal framework for decent work in a manner consistent with ILO supervisory systems.
DW indicators overlap with Millennium Development Goals indicators concerning employment-to-population ratio, own-account and contributing family workers as percentage of total population.
Other overlapping indicators are working poverty rate (US$1 a day), labour productivity growth rate and share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector. The indicators are grouped under substantive elements of DW that are employment opportunities, adequate earnings, decent hours and combining work, family and personal life. Also included is work that should be abolished, stability and security at work, equal opportunity and treatment in employment, safe work environment, social security and social dialogue.
The analysis of decent work indicators can be used by constituents to mainstream Labour Market issues into national development plans and to identify key performance indicators. These will in turn be used for the NDP monitoring framework – where we are starting (baseline) and where we are going (target indicators).
Countries can identify priority DW indicators for their country programme monitoring, and as advocacy tools to include employment issues in NDP and the national budget. Assessment studies on progress towards DW over a given period can be carried out on the country profile.
This is through compilation of all available data on statistical and legal indicators from the national list of DW indicators.
It is also through analysing gaps and trends on DW, into the socio-economic context and national policies, as well as national planning and policy making.
National partners are involved in data compilation, analysis and drafting a report, with the ILO technical assistance in developing DW country profiles.
The study is validated by constituents through validation workshops, where results are discussed, and how they should be reflected in the DW country programme. National publications and medial campaigns also help in developing DW country profiles, with the users being constituents, policy makers and researchers. The ILO has a project on Monitoring and Assessing Progress (MAP) on DW.
Its objective is to develop a global methodology to strengthen countries’ capacity to self-monitor progress towards DW. Employment opportunities are one of the main DW indicators. It incorporates employment-to-population ratio, unemployment rate, youth not in education and not in employment, as well as informal employment. Other indicators include labour force participation rate (15-64 years), youth unemployment rate (15-24 years) and unemployment by level of education.
Employment by status, proportion of own-account and contributing family workers in total employment and share of wage employment in non-agricultural employment is other indicators.
Also not to be overlooked is labour underutilisation, Government commitment to full employment and unemployment insurance. On adequate earnings and productive work, the indicators are average hourly earnings in selected occupations, average real wages, and minimum wage as percentage of median wage.
Also included is manufacturing wage index, employees with recent job training, and statutory minimum wage.
When it comes to decent working hours, in Zimbabwe 40 hours per week is the normal, and anything more than that is excessive. Other indicators on decent working hours are the usual hours-worked (standard hour bands), annual hours worked per employed person and time-related under employment rate.
Also included is paid annual leave, maximum hours of work and paid annual leave.
When it comes to combining work, family and personal life, developmental work needs to be done on asocial (unusual hours) and maternity protection.
The legal framework currently covers maternity leave – including weeks of leave, replacement rate and coverage – as well as paternity and parental leave.
Indicators on work that should be abolished are hazardous child labour, other worst forms of child labour and forced labour (including public policies to combat them). There are many other indicators for measuring DW that I have run out of space to mention.
These are on indicators for equal employment opportunity, safe working environment, social dialogue, economic and social context for decent work.
How does Zimbabwe fare in measuring its DW Agenda?
Food for thought.