Agencies to partner on workforce statistics initiative

In an effort to collect and maintain better statistical information on labor statistics, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by officials from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Wednesday.

An MoU is a non-legal document outlining plans for a collaboration or partnership. The MoU signed by ILO and UNECA officials provides ideas for data collection and analysis through 2019. Further, it sets forth plans for population censuses and labor force surveys and provides better tools for data producers and those who use labor and employment statistics to make policy decisions.

These statistics and information will be shared with many stakeholders, including the African Union Commission and the African Development Bank.

ILO Regional Director for Africa Aeneas Chuma expressed hope that the MoU would help to provide more reliable labor statistics and that the ILO-UNECA collaboration might even lead to improved international standards for labor statistics collection.