On 14-15 January 2016, the OECD hosted a Ministerial meeting on Labour and Employment, and a Policy Forum on the Future of Work.

Ministers from more than 40 OECD and partner countries convened at the OECD headquarters in Paris for a rich exchange of ideas and experiences on how to build more resilient and inclusive labour markets in light of the lessons learned from the recent global economic crisis and in view of the ongoing changes in the world of work as a result of demographic shifts, technological change and globalisation. The meeting also identified priority topics for future OECD work in the employment and labour policy field.

Ministers underlined their commitment to boosting employment, particularly for young people and the long-term unemployed, tackling labour market inequalities and helping people with mental health issues find and stay in work. Ministers from the 34 OECD countries and counterparts from Colombia, Costa Rica, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania and Peru met under the chairmanship of Ms. Joan Burton, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Protection of Ireland.

During the meeting, Ministers endorsed new OECD Recommendations to promote longer working lives and to address the impact of mental health problems on health, education, employment and social outcomes.

Back-to-back with the Ministerial meeting, Policy Forum on the Future of work took place to discuss how digitisation is shaping the world of work and the implications for skills and labour market policy. The Forum brought together over 300 participants including key academics, Labour and Employment Ministers, entrepreneurs and leading representatives from the business sector and the trade unions. The discussions that took place during the Forum will shape the OECD and participating countries’ policy agenda to promote better jobs and well-being.