Training Curriculum on Strengthening Labour Administration Systems
Training Curriculum on Strengthening Labour Administration Systems
Labour administration is the institutional backbone of decent work - the system through which governments shape, deliver, coordinate and monitor labour policy. This collection brings together six reference guides for the officials who lead and operate that system. Each guide distils international standards and good practice into clear, practical material you can consult on the job, draw on when designing reforms, and share across your administration.
Developed in collaboration between the International Labour Office and the International Training Centre of the ILO, the guides are grounded in international labour standards - in particular the Labour Administration Convention, 1978 (No. 150) and its accompanying Recommendation (No. 158) - and draw on the latest findings of the ILO Committee of Experts (CEACR) as well as on examples from labour administrations around the world. Consult and download the modules as a PDF below.
WHAT THESE RESOURCES OFFER
Reference material you can put to work
Practical and ready to use
Designed to be consulted, not completed: clear guides you can open when you need an answer, a definition or a framework for your own work.
Grounded in international standards
Every module builds on ILO Conventions and Recommendations and is enriched with country cases, practical examples and the latest CEACR General Survey.
Free to download and share
Download each module as a PDF to read offline, print or circulate within your ministry, agency or training team - at no cost.
A comprehensive learning package
Six modules span the full picture, from the functions and structure of labour administration to its management, performance and social dialogue.
WHO ARE THE MODULES FOR?
Made for labour administration officials
- Senior officials, managers and leaders of labour administration systems
- Policymakers and decision-makers responsible for labour policy at national, regional or local level
- Officers in labour inspection, employment services, social security and industrial relations
- Teams leading institutional reform, coordination and modernization
- Trainers, academics and social partners engaged in labour governance
The modules are independent and stackable. Consult them in any order, pick the one that matches the task in front of you and use them as a shared reference when working with colleagues and partners - each stands on its own.
Six modules to download
Learn what labour administration is, how it is organized, managed and measured, and how it re-engages with the world of work.
MODULE 1
Functions of Labour Administration
From core mandates to fundamental principles and rights at work (FPRW)
A reference on what labour administration is - its mandate, the core functions it performs across the world of work and its role in promoting and realizing fundamental principles and rights at work.
PDF · 28 pages Download PDF →
MODULE 2
Organization and Structure of a National System of Labour Administration
A national system of labour administration
How a national labour administration system is organized and coordinated - from central ministries to parastatal bodies and field offices - and how its parts fit into one coherent whole.
PDF · 46 pages Download PDF →
MODULE 3
Management I — Strategic Policy and Management
Planning, policy and management approaches
A guide to strategic planning, policy formulation and the management approaches that turn strategy into the day-to-day work of a modern labour administration.
PDF · 66 pages Download PDF →
MODULE 4
Management II — Managing Financial and Human Resources
Budgeting, people, coordination and modernization
Practical guidance on managing the resources that keep a labour administration effective and accountable: budgets, human resources, inter-institutional coordination and digital modernization.
PDF · 63 pages Download PDF →
MODULE 5
Effective Governance and Indicators
Principles and indicators for measuring performance
The principles of effective, accountable and inclusive governance, with a set of indicators to help administrations measure performance, identify gaps and target reform.
PDF · 35 pages Download PDF →
MODULE 6
Labour Administration and Social Dialogue: Building Effective Institutions of Work
Tripartism, collective bargaining and dispute resolution
How labour administrations work with social partners to build trust and engagement - strengthening tripartism and supporting sound labour relations and social dialogue.
PDF · 46 pages Download PDF →
HOW TO USE THEM
One reference, many uses
1. Consult
Open the module that covers your question — functions, organization, management, governance and indicators, or social dialogue — for a definition, a standard or a country example you can rely on.
2. Apply
Put each module's frameworks, standards and checklists to work: strategy and policy, budgets and people, performance indicators, and social dialogue in the day-to-day work of your administration.
3. Share
Circulate the modules across your ministry, agency or training team to build a common language on labour administration with colleagues and social partners.
WHY THEY MATTER
Strong labour administration is a cornerstone of social justice and decent
work
Whether you are reforming an institution, building a new function or sharpening everyday practice, these modules give you the concepts, standards and tools to do it with confidence - and a shared reference you can use with peers around the world.