Summary (English)

At its 310th Session in March 2011, the Governing Body of the ILO decided to place on the agenda of the 102nd Session (2013) of the International Labour Conference (ILC) a general discussion on employment and social protection in the new demographic context based on an integrated approach. This report has been produced to facilitate the general discussion.

The report elaborates on the implications of the changes on age structure of the populations for economic development. It also analyses the policy directions being developed and debated, and discusses the challenges of demographic transitions in developing countries. It is divided into four chapters. The first chapter presents a global and regional overview of the demographic, labour force and dependency trends and prospects which are shaping labour markets and social transfer systems across the world in developed and developing countries. Chapter 2 deals with the key social and economic implications of demographic change in different development contexts and stages of demographic transitions. Chapter 3 discusses observed and possible policy responses. It highlights the need to improve decent work opportunities for all working-age population groups while at the same time extending social protection to provide adequate and sustainable social transfers and decent pensions. Chapter 4 recapitulates the main findings and proposes a range of possible actions by the ILO to support policy developments by constituents regarding demographic transitions. The implications of the global financial and economic crisis are discussed throughout the report.