EkkehardErnst

Better educated people in most countries have better chances of finding jobs. Having said that, if you've studied a field that's not in high demand, you need to be flexible to look for jobs that are outside of your immediate competencies. In principle, the degree you've mentioned here looks pretty saleable.

There have been situations in the past where inequality has declined substantially. These are normally periods when there's full employment and labour markets are generating enough jobs for all those who are looking for them. Hence, our recommendations target chiefly increasing employment which will go a long way to reduce inequality. But yes, if policy leaders in Davos and elsewhere will follow our recommendations, then we could be reasonably optimistic that the inequality will decline.

This is definitely true. In the current situation, employers have the upper hand and can and will demand flexible labour-market conditions such as temp or part-time work. This is even true in countries where labour markets are performing relatively better, such as in Germany, where part of the "labour market miracle" can be attributed to a rise in part-time employment. Again, it's essential to create better conditions for growth in order to absorb the large number of job seekers, before we see an improvement in working conditions.

Minimum wages give families the cash they need to consume. The risk is that if they're not making enough money to consume, then growth will continue to disappoint. So simply by introducing minimum wages in places where it doesn't exist will help boost the economy and create more jobs.

Let me answer both the first and second questions with an example. Minimum wages typically only apply to formal employment, which in many countries is only a small share of total employment. Nevertheless, we know that introducing them or raising them where they exist helps to improve working conditions of those who don't immediately benefit from them, simply by raising the standard of comparison.

Even those who are not directly represented by ILO's tripartite system do, in many ways, benefit from actions taken as a result of ILO policy recommendations.

To your last question, the ILO has been involved in discussions in Bulgaria, for instance, to ensure that our recommendations are reflected in the policy advice given in those countries. This is certainly more helpful for workers in these countries than standing outside and hoping things improve by themselves.