The fourth G20 Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting is taking place in George, Western Cape, where an array of pressing labour and social issues are under discussion. This pivotal gathering underlines the G20 EWG’s commitment to fostering strong, sustainable, balanced, and job-rich growth across the globe, aligning closely with South Africa’s G20 Presidency theme: “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.”
Central to the discussions is the theme: “Living and Working in an Unequal World: Ensuring Decent Work and Decent Lives.” The aim is to address disparities that persist within the global workforce, a concern echoed by Gilbert Houngbo, Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). He stated, “There’s been progress in the global labour participation rate. Even in the pay gaps, there’s been a lot of progress, particularly when we compare it to pre-pandemic figures. Things are coming back, but we still have persistent imbalances, mainly in the pay gap between men and women.”
Highlighting the scale of the challenge, Houngbo pointed out that approximately 229 million women remain outside the labour market, emphasising a crucial call for G20 nations to enhance their efforts towards inclusivity and equitable participation in employment.
South African officials are also pressing for immediate action on these social disparities. Zingiswa Losi, President of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), elaborated on the significance of tackling inequality—advancing initiatives that not only recognise gender, race, and age disparities but actively work to rectify them. “I think we’ve made a lot of progress in terms of things we have agreed from Gqerberha to Ethekweni to here. For example, we have agreed to deal with youth not currently in education, employment, or training. There’s a commitment to reduce the amount by 5%, so by the time we get to 2030, the figure will be significantly reduced. In terms of Ethekweni, there is the issue of addressing the gender wage gap, which in 2035 we will have reduced by 25%,” said Losi.
The discussions at the meeting are pivotal to shaping future policies and commitments across member nations. As the gathering works towards concluding with a declaration on Thursday, participants will look to build on the Brisbane Goal, which aims to reduce gender gaps within the labour force.