SDG 8 : UN Tourism and ILO Launch Global Employment Dataset to Accelerate Progress on SDG Monitoring

The United Nations (UN) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have teamed up to do Global Employment something really important. They have created a new set of numbers about jobs in the tourism industry all over the world. This might sound a bit boring, but it’s actually a big step towards making sure that tourism creates good jobs for everyone and helps countries grow in a fair way.

This new set of numbers is called a “global employment dataset.” Think of it like a big collection of information about who works in tourism, what kind of jobs they do, and how many people are employed in this sector in different parts of the world.

Why is this important? Well, tourism is a huge part of the world’s economy. It brings in a lot of money for many countries and provides jobs for millions of people. But sometimes, these jobs aren’t very good. People might work long hours for little pay, or the work might not be stable.

The UN and the ILO want to make sure that tourism grows in a way that benefits everyone, especially the people who work in it. This is linked to something called Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8).

What is SDG 8 and Why Does Tourism Matter?

The United Nations has a set of 17 goals called the Sustainable Development Goals. Global Employment These are like a plan for making the world a better place by 2030. SDG 8 is all about “Decent Work and Economic Growth.” This means making sure that everyone has the chance to get a good job, with fair pay and good working conditions, and that economies grow in a way that is sustainable and benefits everyone.

Tourism plays a big role in this. For many countries, especially developing countries, tourism is a major source of income and jobs. When tourism is done right, it can help reduce poverty, create opportunities for local communities, and support economic growth.

However, if tourism jobs are low-paying, insecure, or have poor working conditions, then the industry Global Employment isn’t really helping to achieve SDG 8. In fact, it could even be making things worse by exploiting workers.

Why We Need Better Numbers

To make sure that tourism is creating “decent work,” we need to know what the current situation is. We need to have good information about the jobs in the tourism sector. This includes things like:

How many people work in tourism?

-What kinds of jobs do they do? (e.g., hotel staff, tour guides, restaurant workers)
-What are their working conditions like? (e.g., pay, hours, safety)
-Are these jobs stable and secure?
-Are there equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of gender, age, or background?
-Without this kind of information, it’s hard to know if things are getting better or worse. It’s also hard for governments and businesses to make good decisions about how to improve the tourism industry and make it fairer for workers.

That’s where this new global employment dataset comes in. Global Employment By collecting and organizing information about tourism jobs from all over the world, the UN and the ILO are giving us a much clearer picture of the situation.

What Will This New Dataset Do?

Better Understanding: It will give us a better understanding of the current state of employment in the tourism sector globally. This will help us see the challenges and identify areas where improvements are needed.

Tracking Progress: By collecting this data regularly, we can track progress over time. We can see if the number of good jobs in tourism is increasing and if working conditions are improving. This will help us know if the efforts to promote decent work in tourism are actually working.

Informing Policies: Governments and tourism businesses can use this data to make better decisions and create policies that support decent work. For example, if the data shows that many tourism workers are paid very low wages, governments might decide to implement minimum wage laws for the sector.

Promoting Accountability: Having clear data will also help to hold governments and businesses accountable for the kind of jobs they are creating in the tourism sector. It will be harder to ignore problems like poor working conditions if there is data showing that they exist.

Supporting Sustainable Tourism: Ultimately, this effort is about making tourism more sustainable. When tourism provides good jobs and benefits local communities, it is more likely to be environmentally and socially responsible in the long run.

How Was This Dataset Created?

Creating a global dataset like this is a big task. It involves collecting information from many different countries and making sure that the data is comparable. The UN Tourism (which used to be called the World Tourism Organization)Global Employment and the ILO have worked together to develop a framework for collecting this data. They have used their expertise in tourism and labor statistics to come up with ways to measure employment in the sector effectively.

Defining what counts as a tourism job:

This might seem simple, but it can be tricky. Does it only include people who work directly with tourists, like hotel staff and tour guides? Or does it also include people who provide services to the tourism industry, like food suppliers or laundry services? Having a clear definition is important for collecting consistent data.

Working with national statistical offices:

The UN and the ILO likely worked with the government agencies in different countries that are responsible for collecting employment data. They would have helped these agencies to collect data specifically on the tourism sector, using agreed-upon methods.

Developing tools and guidelines:

To ensure that the data is collected in a consistent way across different countries, the UN and the ILO probably developed guidelines and tools that national statistical offices could use.

Analyzing and compiling the data:

Once the data was collected, the UN and the ILO would have analyzed it and compiled it into a global dataset that can be used for research and policy-making.

What Kind of Information Will the Dataset Include?

While the exact details of the dataset might be quite technical, Global Employment it is likely to include information on:

Number of employees in different tourism sub-sectors: This could include hotels, restaurants, transportation, travel agencies, attractions, and more Global Employment.

Demographic information about tourism workers: This could include things like age, gender, education level, and nationality. This can help us understand if there are inequalities in the sector.

Employment status: Are people working full-time or part-time? Are they in permanent jobs or temporary positions? This can tell us about the stability of employment in tourism.

Working conditions: While it might be harder to collect data on things like pay and working hours on a global scale, the dataset might include some indicators related to this. Global Employment Over time, it could potentially be expanded to include more detailed information on working conditions.

Conclusion

The launch of this global employment dataset by the UN Tourism and the ILO is a positive and important development. It provides a crucial tool for understanding and improving the quality of jobs in the tourism sector worldwide. By giving us better numbers, Global Employment it helps us to track progress towards Sustainable Global Employment Goal 8 and to ensure that tourism contributes to decent work and economic growth for all.

This is not just about numbers it’s about people. Global Employment It’s about making sure that the millions of people who work in tourism around the world have fair opportunities, good working conditions, and a chance for a better future. By working together and using this new data effectively, we can help to build a tourism industry that is not only economically successful but also socially just and sustainable.

This new dataset is a significant step on that journey towards a fairer and more responsible tourism sector for everyone. It highlights the importance of looking beyond just the number of tourists and focusing on the quality of the jobs that tourism creates. Global Employment This focus on decent work will ultimately lead to a more resilient and beneficial tourism industry for both workers and the communities that host them.