Held once every four years, the International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) is an important conference hosted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) that brings together statisticians from all over the globe. At the ICLS, new standards for emerging statistical themes are tabled for discussion, while existing statistical standards are reviewed and revised to keep up with the latest trends.​​

For the upcoming 21st ICLS, we are heartened to share that M​RSD ​​​​​and ILO are collaborating on discussion papers for two topics. The first being a revision of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) standards, and the second, new statistical standards for Digital Platform Employment.​

In March, our very own statistical specialist, Ashly Yap, was posted to Geneva for a month in preparation of the upcoming ICLS taking place from 11 - 20 October 2023. During her time there, she participated in and contributed actively to discussions on the development of statistical standards with regard to Digital Platform Employment. These include learning experiences from measuring the different components of platform employment, and steps towards a formal set of statistical guidelines and relevant frameworks, all to be presented at the upcoming ICLS.​

​Through this experience, we strengthened the relationships between MRSD and our ILO partners. It is our honour to work with other experts responsible for the production of international standards on statistical collection, methodology, and analysis.​

Given that Singapore is a young and small nation, we are appreciative of the exciting opportunities and learning experiences we have gained at the ILO. To quote Ashly, “Representing Singapore to the rest of the world is something to be proud of, and a joyous responsibility!” – encouraging us to welcome new and thrilling opportunities in MRSD.​