Recap from IOE digital conferences: global mobility, skills and productivity in the spotlight

Global mobility, skills and productivity were this week’s focus of IOE digital conferences on Covid-19 and business.

Global mobility and Covid-19

Entry or travel restrictions, quarantine upon entry in a country and closing of consular posts and visa application centers are some of the temporary migration-related measures implemented by governments to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. With transportation suspended, global mobility of workers and the recruitment of foreign workforce are also affected, putting a strain on businesses.

Over 100 participants joined this virtual conversation, held in collaboration with the workforce mobility association Worldwide ERC. According to Worldwide ERC’s latest survey to their members, providing additional pay, covering costs to relocate home and providing additional time off are some of the measures taken to preserve international assignees’ well-being during these unprecedented times.

From financial aid to regulatory compliance support: what are the relief measures needed by the mobility community to face Covid-19 impact? Learn more about these and how to strengthen advocacy to governments here.

Fostering skills and productivity during Covid-19

What challenges do managers face in maintaining productivity levels during the crisis? How can the private sector still maintain its competitiveness whilst addressing the health and financial implications of the crisis? Can the time now be strategically used to develop the various skills of employees? These were some of the questions explored by speakers and participants during our digital conference on skills and productivity on Wednesday 15 April.

With Covid-19 pandemic posing unique challenges to all types and levels of learning, there is a clear need for accelerated innovation in on-line learning and the delivery of TVET and skills training. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Manager, Bhavna Chopra Srikrishna, highlights some Indian companies have developed e-learning modules to revise and re-skill employees during the lockdown period.

At the wake of the crisis, society could likely be “pandemic-conscious, resilience-focused and empathically digital”. Will resilience be the new business currency? Can “skills for productivity and resilience” be considered a new business mantra? A post-Covid-19 era will envisage a shift of competitive edge towards enterprises with strong digital infrastructure, footprints and savviness. ILO Bureau for Employers’ Activities Senior Adviser, Sam Asfaha, gave us some of these keys.

Deloitte partner Myriam Denk presented keys to “responding, recovering and thriving”, and GAN Executive Director Nazrene Mannie emphasised the role of social partners in dialogue and policy action and the importance of ensuring that skills development continues to be part of the larger policy agenda.

Want to know more about maintaining the learning and skills capacity and methodologies to maintain productivity levels? Find out here.

Sectoral and regional approaches

Other digital exchanges include an IOE-led high-level dialogue between the International Labour Organization’s Director-General Guy Ryder and leaders of global industry associations – aviation, road transport, garment, tourism and hospitality sectors – as well as an ILO Americas’ virtual conversation on “Socio-labour impacts and measures taken to protect the economy, jobs and incomes in the region”, held in Spanish.

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