Photo credit: © Bénédicte Desrus
Photo credit: © Bénédicte Desrus
Decent Work: Turning Economic Transitions into Drivers of Social Justice
Today, work is undergoing a profound transformation across the globe. Informality, digitalization, job insecurity… Promoting decent work—that is, productive work that provides a fair income, rights, and social protection, and supports sustainable economic growth—is now a global challenge. It continues to face dynamics common to many countries: fragmentation of value chains, the rise of precarious employment, the growth of digital platforms, increased vulnerability among young people, women, and migrant workers, and uneven institutional capacities to enforce labor rights.
Mexico, like many Latin American countries, is at the center of these tensions. According to INEGI data, more than one in two workers in the country is employed in the informal sector. Informality particularly affects women, young people, the elderly, and migrant populations, and leads to the precariousness of workers, a decline in the country’s productivity, increased competition, inequalities in income distribution, and so on.
Mexico, like many Latin American countries, is at the center of these tensions. According to data from INEGI, more than one in two workers in the country is employed in the informal sector. Informal employment particularly affects women, young people, the elderly, and migrant populations, leading to precarious working conditions, a decline in the country’s productivity, increased competition, and inequalities in income distribution, among other issues. These issues closely mirror those observed in other regions of the world, particularly in Africa and Europe, where economic, demographic, and digital transitions pose comparable challenges.
These issues bear a strong resemblance to those observed in other parts of the world, particularly in Africa and Europe, where economic, demographic and digital transitions present similar challenges.
The organisation of major international events, such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup (Mexico, United States, Canada), serves to highlight these dynamics on the global stage. It places strain on already fragile sectors – construction, services, security, tourism – and exposes the limitations of existing regulatory frameworks. However, these events are not an end in themselves: above all, they offer an opportunity for international dialogue, for comparing practices and for sharing proven solutions across continents.
At this Rendez-vous de l’Expertise event in Mexico City, we will explore how these challenges can be tackled collectively through local and international cooperation: how to strengthen decent work in the face of global changes in the world of work – informality, the rise of the gig economy, social vulnerabilities – by drawing on perspectives from Latin America, Africa and Europe, and what role can international cooperation play in promoting public policies and protective, inclusive practices?
Join us on 28 May 2026 at 2.30 pm!