The Governance of Labour Administration: Reforms, Innovations and Challenges

Focusing on public administration activities in the field of national labour policy, this timely book provides detailed analyses of labour administration reforms, innovations and challenges in different countries, including detailed case studies from Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the US. Combining rigorous research and practical policy recommendations, the book contains contributions from top scholars in the fields of economics, employment relations, labour law and public administration, as well as officials from the International Labour Organization (ILO). Chapters offer wide-ranging investigations of topics such as labour inspection, social dialogue involving employer organizations and trade unions, and the role of performance management and new technologies in labour administration. The book further demonstrates the vital role of labour administration in upholding employment rights and promoting employment, emphasizing the ways in which it can contribute to good governance, sustainable development and decent work. This will be a critical read for employment relations, global labour studies and public administration scholars. Policy makers and practitioners working in and around employment policy and labour law will also find this book beneficial, particularly with its in-depth case studies.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Foreword xiii Acknowledgements xvi 1 Introduction to The Governance of Labour Administration 1 Jason Heyes, Ludek Rychly, Maria Gavris and Maria Luz Vega Ruiz PART I KEY ISSUES IN LABOUR ADMINISTRATION 2 Evolution of national systems of labour administration since the adoption of the ILO Labour Administration Convention, 1978 (No. 150) 23 José Luis Daza 3 Social dialogue at the dawn of the ILO’s centenary: sorting out challenges, setting priorities for the future 43 Konstantinos Papadakis 4 Understanding ICT use in labour administration: taking stock 68 Anna Milena Galazka PART II LABOUR ADMINISTRATION IN ACTION 5 Governing labour regulations in the future of work: lessons from labour inspection in Brazil 91 Roberto Pires 6 The labour inspection system and labour law reform in France 113 Virginie Forest 7 Minimum wage(s) in Germany: origins, enforcement, effects 130 J. Timo Weishaupt 8 The changing world of work and labour market institutions in India 152 Kingshuk Sarkar 9 Innovative measures for implementing labour laws and role of labour administration: recent developments in Japan 168 Ryuichi Yamakawa 10 ICT-led innovations in labour administration: Sri Lanka’s labour inspection systems application 192 Sunil Chandrasiri and Ramani Gunatilaka 11 Recent developments in U.S. labor policies and programs 210 Christopher T. King and Burt S. Barnow 12 Labour market integration of migrants in Germany? 238 Judith Czepek 13 An analysis of performance management in the South African Department of Labour 262 Robert Cameron Index 284

About the Author :
Edited by Jason Heyes, Professor of Employment Relations, Sheffield University Management School and Ludek Rychly, Visiting Professor of Employment Relations, Sheffield University Management School, UK and Former Senior Specialist, International Labour Office, Geneva, Switzerland

Review :
‘This highly instructive book on how labour administration is struggling with challenges in the contemporary world of labour gives a compact analysis of the evolution of national systems in the context of the ILO’s 1978 Labour Administration Convention. The case studies of the reforms and innovations in labour administration presented here, for eight countries on different continents with differing economies, make it essential reading for scholars and practitioners alike.’ ‘This collection shines an informed light on an area vital to policy delivery – effective labour administration, and its contribution to good public governance. I found the wide-ranging contributions from different regions and perspectives interesting in themselves while together they help identify important preconditions and enablers. The book should be of value to academics across a number of areas including employment relations, as well as key reading for policy makers, social partners and those involved in the staffing and oversight of labour administration bodies.’ ‘Recent years have witnessed an explosion of new forms of work organization such as gig work, temporary work, and freelancing. These developments have brought regulatory questions to the fore. Much attention has been directed at the content of those regulations, yet without effective administration the rules have no teeth. This is a topic that is too often overlooked. The Governance of Labour Administration performs a welcome service by filling this gap via an impressive international comparative study. This volume is an important and useful contribution to the ongoing debate about how best to manage a rapidly changing job market.’