In 2020, the global workforce lost an equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs, an estimated $3.7 trillion in wages and 4.4% of global GDP, a staggering toll on lives and livelihoods. While vaccine rollout has begun and the growth outlook is predicted to improve, an even socio-economic recovery is far from certain.
The choices made by policymakers, business leaders, workers and learners today will shape societies for years to come. At this critical crossroads, leaders must consciously, proactively and urgently lay the foundations of a new social contract, rebuilding our economies so they provide opportunity for all.
In this context, the Forum remains committed to working with the public- and private sectors to provide better skills, jobs and education to 1 billion people by 2030 through initiatives to close the skills gap and prepare for the ongoing technological transformation of the future of work.
A must-read list: The enduring contributions of African-American women writers
African American women writers throughout the 20th century touched on many topics which were controversial and sensitive at the time.
New York City has a plan to fight fast fashion waste. Here’s how it works
City authorities and major brands are working with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s #WearNext campaign to stop clothing ending up in landfill as part of a wider push to establish a circul...
Dublin's homeless are being retrained as city tour guides
The city's homeless will lead parties of tourists under a scheme which trains them as tour guides.
Less fluff, more stuff: The science of productive meetings
How much time do you need? How many people should be dialing in and who should be talking? These are some of the many questions you need to be asking yourself before you arrange a meeting.
Why getting workplace diversity right isn't for the faint-hearted
Since Värde has focused on increasing female workplace diversity among investment professionals, it has doubled the number of women professionals to nearly 20%
Academia has a gender equality problem. Here's how to fix it
Research and academic organisations have a key role to play as thought leaders in transforming the systems that hold women back - but first they need to address their own gender biases
These are the benefits of learning a second language
There seems to be a problem with language learning in much of the English-speaking world. That may be partly because English is the internet’s lingua franca. But it’s a problem that could...
It's time to fulfil the promises made to women 25 years ago
In 1994, the world's nations agreed that sexual and reproductive rights were the cornerstone of global development. Now, 25 years later, millions of women and girls have been left behind.
Gender parity can boost economic growth. Here's how
Economist Laura Tyson says that not just GDP but also financial markets can benefit from women's equality.
Better data can help close the global gender gap
Three initiatives in Egypt, Kenya and India show how detailed local knowledge can lead to specific solutions that genuinely help women.
Is women's progress stalling at your company? Here's how to get it moving again
Look carefully at your leadership and confront your data honestly ... Mercer CEO Martine Ferland on what it really takes to support women in the workplace.
We have a chance to build the gender-equal workplaces of the future. Here's how
Globally, women will have to wait 202 years to be paid the same as men. But there are huge changes taking place in the world of work that could help us accelerate this process.