National Conference on the Future of Work

On behalf of the UN Family in Montenegro, I would like to thank you for organising National Conference on the Future of Work and for opening this academic arena for discussion of such an important topic as the future aspects of labour and employment.

No doubt we live in an era of increasing turmoil on so many fronts. Labour market seems to be one of the most volatile. Last year Google announced that out of 10 most wanted jobs in 2015, eight of them did not exist only 10 years ago. And not just that, disruptive technologies led to the fact that the largest taxi company in the world does not own a single car, the biggest retailers do not have any goods in their stores, they even do not have stores, largest media of nowadays do not create any content.

Labour market is facing growing uncertainties on a global scale. Strong labour market is also one of the key, if not even THE key, factor of economic growth. Not to mention sustainable development we all strive for.

The UN Family in Montenegro is trying to support Montenegro to successfully cope with these challenges. The ILO’s initiative Future of Work, seems to be quite solid framework to address the uncertainty of the future.

Montenegro can surely benefit from the ILO’s mission. Country’s unemployment rate is rising and job creation remains slow. Montenegro is particularly affected by high youth unemployment rates of more than 40% and informal employment of almost 60%, which shows increase in vulnerable forms of employment.

Moreover, national GDP growth rate is slowing down in comparison with the previous decade, which raises concerns about the ability of the economy to generate enough jobs, but also a challenge for the national labour market to properly address the needs of the employers.

Yet another challenge is improving of the quality of employment for those who work, but also ensuring that the gains of economic growth are shared in an inclusive manner.

And this is not issue only in Montenegro. Many countries around the globe are facing the same twin challenges of quality employment, which has been emphasised by the economic crisis from almost ten years ago.

And that’s why I’d like to bring to your attention to number 8 at this background. It’s the Sustainable Development Goal focused on decent work and economic growth. One out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals which all countries committed to achieve by 2030, so the next generations could live in a better world, while leaving no one behind. To make this vision come true, we must look at the long-term drivers of change and we need to make societies resilient to upcoming changes and challenged.

And that is exactly what we in the UN together with the Government of Montenegro are aiming to achieve within our five-year strategic framework, but also through our daily work. Supporting the country in addressing key national priorities, primarily accession to European Union, through providing impartial advice, technical expertise and access to the latest knowledge and practices for addressing key development and human rights challenges.

Finally, I would like to express the appreciation to the ILO Office in Montenegro for initiating this important dialogue. Present and the future is about constant changes and uncertainties, labour environment and employment opportunities included. Thus, on the road to sustainable development and achieving SDGs, decent work and sustainable economic growth (Goal 8) should be the paramount for ILO and the tripartite forum.

I wish you all a fruitful and successful work.