March 13 @ 11:15 CET
Digital technologies are transforming economies, how businesses operate and how the world of work functions. This shift has accelerated because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the expansion of the digital economy will continue to follow this trend. The World Bank estimates that the digital economy contributes to more than 15 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP), and in the past decade it has been growing at two and a half times faster than physical world GDP. New business models, such as digital labour platforms have also emerged as a result of this advancement with the potential to generate decent work, when backed by the necessary policy and regulatory frameworks and incentives.
Digital labour platforms and remote work could potentially transform how young refugees make a living. Efforts to improve the inclusion of young refugees have typically focused on improving access to internet connectivity; providing digital skills training; and addressing legal impediments and administrative barriers to work in digital platforms, such as national ID documents being a prerequisite for access. A piecemeal approach, however, has generated gaps including in creating effective and sustained job and career pathways. An integrated approach to finding innovative solutions is needed, involving governments, workers, digital platform (employers) operators and the international community, as well as young refugees (where possible), to create new mechanisms for the inclusion of traditionally underserved groups, such as forcibly displaced youth.
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