The G20 labor and employment ministers are committed to accelerating the entry of groups of persons with disabilities into an inclusive labor market.
They conveyed the commitment in one of five key documents they released after concluding their meeting under the Indonesian presidency.
“Thank God, the G20 LEMM was well-organized, and the entire agenda went well, as expected," Indonesian Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah remarked after the meeting concluded in Bali on Wednesday, according to a press release issued by the ministry’s public relations bureau.
The first document was the Action Plan on Accelerating and Monitoring the G20 Principles for the Labor Market Integration of Persons with Disabilities, which contains the members' agreement for accelerating the entry of groups of persons with disabilities into an inclusive labor market.
"In addition, monitoring the implementation and integration of persons with disabilities into the labor market should be based on a list of indicators that will be analyzed and submitted by the ILO (International Labour Organization) and OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), reported every four years," Fauziyah informed.
The second document, G20 Policy Recommendations for Sustainable Growth and Productivity for Human Capacity Development through Strengthening Community-Based Vocational Training (CBVT), contains an agreement to boost human resource capacity and productivity by implementing life-long learning, which pays attention to local needs and inclusive community participation, through community-based vocational training.
"For an important note, CBVT, as the Komunitas BLK’s flagship program, which we introduced to the world, offers an inclusive and sustainable vocational training approach," the minister said.
The third document, Policy Recommendation on Promoting Entrepreneurship and Supporting MSMEs as a Job Creation Instrument, contains the members' agreement to commit to bolstering inclusive and sustainable employment opportunities through the development of and support for entrepreneurship and MSME programs.
This will serve as one of the instruments for expanding job opportunities and economic recovery.
The fourth document, G20 Policy Principles on Adapting Labor Protection for More Effective Protection and Increased Resilience for All Workers, contains members' agreement to grant adaptive labor protection for all workers in response to changes in the world of work by taking into account the three main determinants: the scope of labor protection, the level of protection, and the level of compliance.
“Moreover, it also encourages inclusive and comprehensive Occupational Safety and Health (K3) policies and engagement with stakeholders, such as workers, trade unions, employers, employers' organizations, other organizations, and communities, in social dialogue, both locally and nationally,” she added.
The fifth document, Update of the G20 Skills Strategy, contains the members' agreement on developing integrated governance to ensure that all citizens get decent basic education and access to continuous skill improvement, which would help them stay relevant amid labor market changes, including through community-based vocational training.
"These documents, which are expected to be guidelines for considering labor policy-making, are definitely applicable not only for G20 countries, but also developing countries," Fauziyah said.
As the G20 LEMM chair, she received a lot of feedback and views related to global labor market conditions, which still pose challenges and uncertainty in the post-pandemic era, during the G20 LEMM.
"The forum is also committed to encouraging acceleration efforts in achieving Antalya's (Turkey) target of youth participation in the labor market and Brisbane's (Australia) target of women's participation in the labor market by 2025," she said.
In addition to the five documents, the release of the L20 and B20 Joint Statements was lauded by ministers, heads of delegations, and international organizations.
"They appreciate the commitment of both social partners in establishing harmonious industrial relations, and mainstreaming social dialogue to counter future employment challenges," Fauziyah added.
