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.
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.
Every module builds on ILO Conventions and Recommendations and is enriched with country cases, practical examples and the latest CEACR General Survey.
Download each module as a PDF to read offline, print or circulate within your ministry, agency or training team - at no cost.
Six modules span the full picture, from the functions and structure of labour administration to its management, performance and social dialogue.
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.
Learn what labour administration is, how it is organized, managed and measured, and how it re-engages with the world of work.
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.
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.
Circulate the modules across your ministry, agency or training team to build a common language on labour administration with colleagues and social partners.
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.