G20 performance on labour and employment

G20 leaders at their Johannesburg Summit must enhance labour commitments by prioritising clear, measurable targets and addressing urgent social challenges to ensure higher compliance and promote inclusive, sustainable employment for all.

Guided by the South African presidency’s theme of ‘Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability’, the G20 should advance coordinated labour actions rooted in clear targets, structured planning and shared accountability. To build sustainable and inclusive economies, leaders must promote equality of opportunity and outcomes, strengthen international cooperation, and ensure no one is left behind in economic and social development.

Deliberation

From 2008 to 2024, the G20 gave an average of 14% of its declarations to employment at each summit. The 2008 Washington Summit dedicated 3% to labour and employment. In 2009, this rose to 8% in London and 12% in Pittsburgh. It then dropped, but at the 2012 Los Cabos Summit rose to 19% and stayed high at 17% in St Petersburg in 2013.

Peaks followed, at Brisbane in 2014 with 31%, at Antalya in 2015 with 21% and at Hangzhou in 2016 with 20%. It dropped to 15% at Hamburg in 2017, and continued to fall to 9% at Buenos Aires in 2018, reaching a low of 7% at the 2019 Osaka Summit. The 2020 Riyadh Summit saw a rise to 20%, but this declined to 8% at the 2021 Rome Summit, 9% at the 2022 Bali Summit and 8% at the 2023 New Delhi Summit. The 2024 Rio de Janeiro Summit had 7%.

Decisions

In total, G20 leaders have made 189 commitments on labour and employment, which ranks sixth among all subjects. They made the first such commitments at London in 2009 with four (for 3% of that summit’s total), decreasing to three (2%) at Pittsburgh in 2009 and none at Toronto in 2010. The 2010 Seoul Summit made three (2%), followed by eight (3%) in 2011, 18 (10%) in 2012 and 30 (11%) in 2013. Brisbane in 2014 made 16 (9%). Then came 10 (6%) in 2015 and nine (4%) in 2016. Hamburg in 2017 had an all-time high of 25 (5%), followed by 16 (12%) in 2018. The number fell to nine (6%) in 2019, to six (6%) in 2020, and to five (2%) in 2021. It then rose to 17 (8%) in 2022. The 2023 New Delhi Summit made 10 (4%). The 2024 Rio Summit made four (2%).

Delivery

The G20 Research Group has measured G20 members’ compliance with 30 labour commitments, which averaged 76% – above the G20’s overall average of 71%.

Compliance started at its lowest with 47% for London in 2009. It then rose to 78% for Seoul in 2010, dropping slightly to 74% for 2011. Compliance peaked at 100% for 2012. It declined but stayed high at 88% for 2013 and 82% for 2014. It dropped to 67% for 2015, and dropped further to 51% for 2016. For 2017 and 2018, compliance was higher at 68% and 77%, respectively. It soared to 95% for 2019 and stayed high for 2020 with 83%. Another low came for 2021 with 48%. However, compliance rose again for 2022 to 80% followed by 95% for 2023. No labour commitments made at the 2024 Rio Summit have been assessed. 

Causes

Summits that produce more detailed and structured labour commitments, particularly commitments that reference specific policy tools such as national employment plans or ministerial agreements, have higher compliance. Among 15 assessed summits, the eight highest compliers (above 76%) often included follow-up mechanisms and coordination with labour ministers. For instance, the 2012 Los Cabos Summit, with 100% compliance, endorsed labour ministerial recommendations and targeted labour market measures.

Summits that build on existing labour goals also correlate with stronger compliance. The 2023 New Delhi Summit, with 95% compliance, focused on education and skills training for vulnerable groups, continuing earlier inclusive policies. This suggests that policy continuity and reaffirmation of prior structured commitments can contribute to improved implementation.

In contrast, summits featuring broad, aspirational language without structured planning averaged just 56% compliance. This suggests that commitments lacking measurable targets, timelines or links to institutional processes are less likely to be implemented effectively.

Conclusion

To improve performance, G20 leaders at the Johannesburg Summit should make more specific labour commitments, including references to the International Labour Organization, as references to a core related international organisation have resulted in better compliance in other issue areas. Anchoring employment policy in solidarity, equality and sustainability requires clear, actionable commitments with sustained follow through to ensure lasting impact.