On my way home from @ilo and @BelgiumUNGeneva high-level forum on the #sharing economy and its social challenges: a few highlights from a great discussion, moderated by @ilo senior economist Janine Berg. Short thread. 1/10 @ILO_live

Josephine Teo, Singapore Minister of Manpower followed w/ fascinating overview of tripartite working group–from offering standard contracts & payment dispute resolution to challenges of #freelancers for social sec. V interested to learn more about their work! 3/10 @SPMGMissionGva

.@Uber's @asingh_au emphasised the challenges of operating in 79 countries, with vastly different laws – and social contracts; the many dimensions of flexibility (scheduling / variations); and the need for policy innovation. 4/10

Then, the Social Partners representatives: @Kromjong highlighting the need for more evidence to drive future policy outcomes, and @PJenningsUNI calling for #socialdialogue between gigworkers and platforms. 5/10

Next up: the @WEF’s @zahidi , w/ a fascinating set of questions to the audience (Will your skillset last you through to the end of your working career?) – and a crucial challenge: we need to think about the multiple futures of work, and make reskilling real. 6/10

In conclusion, two crucial points from @ILO DG @GuyRyder : which narrative is going to be true depends on what we choose to do about it – and we should never reduce work to just an income, but remember its much broader social importance. 7/10

Key takeaways? First and foremost, the sheer heterogeneity of (gig) work: across jobs, platforms, countries, occupations, … Second, the need to rethink our current approach: but to do so carefully. Embrace technology – but never forget the #MechanicalTurk. 8/10

And that old chestnut: isn’t the #gigeconomy just a tiny proportion of the labour market? Yes, for the time being it is – but the policy challenges it throws up are part of a much broader set of questions about the #futureofwork we can’t affor to ignore. 9/10

Finally, here’s a lovely random snap from the depths of the @ilo building which historians & anthropologist might enjoy… but don’t be fooled: they’re doing some of the v. best work out there on the labour market challenges ahead. 10/10 (& Special thanks to @stefaanthijs & team!)

pls unroll