UNECE Meeting of Experts on Quality of Employment
As members of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)’s Steering Group, representatives from
MRSD attended the biennial Meeting of Experts on Quality of Employment from 14 – 16 May 2024. The meeting was also attended by participants from the USA, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, and South Korea, among many others, representing notable statistical agencies such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and Eurostat.
UNECE’s Steering Group of Experts was formed in 2015 to guide and oversee the development and implementation of an internationally recognised framework on the Quality of Employment. In 2018, MRSD, representing Singapore, was invited to join as a member, and has since played an active role in the Steering Group’s regular discussions and updates on methodological and implementation matters. The topic ‘Quality of Employment’ covers a wide array of topics relevant to Singapore, such as workplace safety, fair employment practices, work-life balance, and skills development. MRSD regularly engages in UNECE policy deliberations as we recognise the valuable insights that can be gleaned from these collaborative exchanges.
One of our MRSD representatives was invited to be the session chair for the topic
‘Administrative and Other Data Sources for Measuring Quality and Forms of Employment’. During this session, we were also given the opportunity to present on how Singapore uses administrative data to gain useful statistical insights to create policies aimed at supporting our local delivery partners. Additionally, MRSD served as a panellist for the discussion on
‘Quality of Employment among Immigrant Population’, sharing Singapore’s perspective and approach to this matter. These presentations follow up on our previous contributions in developing international statistical frameworks, including having led reviews on emerging areas of statistical measures, such as new forms of employment.
As our labour market statistics are produced to closely follow international guidelines, it is important that we use this platform to present our views on how quality indicators should be measured so that they can be made known and incorporated as part of future improvements in the international statistical framework. This will keep Singapore at the forefront in terms of alignment with international standards. Moreover, staying connected globally allows us to enjoy cross-learning exchanges with various national statistical agencies, helping us identify emerging labour market trends and refine our statistical production process.
As such, the opportunity to attend this meeting allowed us to participate in several meaningful discussions held during the forum, including a keynote address by Professor Francis Green from University College London that shared important observations on the evolving measurement of job quality and wellbeing around the world. It was eye-opening for us to learn how other countries conduct their labour force surveys, and how they capture new data items related to the emerging topics of digital platform work and work-from-home arrangements. Such information will certainly be useful in our curation and implementation of relevant survey campaigns back home.
Following this meeting, the Steering Group will continue to develop the framework for digital platform work and refine the Handbook on Measuring Quality of Employment, with us at MRSD in particular striving to further our contributions in the international arena.
