Published on 23rd June 2025
Speaking in a high-level panel during the annual forum of the ILO Global Coalition for Social Justice on June 12, Bettina Schaller, President of the World Employment Confederation (WEC) and Head of Public Affairs at The Adecco Group, joined global leaders in exploring how living wages can foster economic and social development and participate in advancing social justice.
For over half of the global workforce, wages are the primary income source for their households. While real wages have increased – more rapidly in developing countries than in high-income countries – over the past years, millions of workers still earn wages too low to afford a decent standard of living.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) addressed this pressing issue during the annual forum of its Global Coalition for Social Justice. This event took place during the International Labour Conference where representatives from governments, employers, and workers’ organisations from around the world gather at the ILO headquarters in Switzerland to discuss the future of work.
Bettina Schaller reaffirmed the HR services industry’s commitment to fair and decent work, which includes attention to remuneration. She mentioned the decades-long practice of negotiating equal pay for agency workers across Europe and cited research from The Adecco Group showing that their agency workers earn, on average, 2.5 times the national minimum wage—often exceeding average national wages in countries like the US, UK, and Germany.
The WEC President also emphasised the importance of political alignment in implementing living wages, calling for credible benchmarks—preferably from institutions like the ILO—to guide financial modelling and policy development. Underlining this goal is the need for robust, standardised data. Bettina Schaller advocated for a centralised ILO data hub to overcome the limitations of national statistical systems. She stressed the value of integrating both country-level and enterprise-level data to create a more comprehensive and actionable global picture.
Bettina Schaller concluded by reiterated the industry’s commitment to working collaboratively with the ILO, the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), and social partners. “Achieving the 2030 agenda for sustainable development cannot be achieved without a cooperative approach from all stakeholders involved. The role of the private sector is fundamental. By offering diverse forms of work, promoting fair recruitment practices and enabling reskilling and upskilling, the HR services industry contributes to SGD 8 on decent work and economic growth on daily basis.”
The World Employment Confederation is actively engaged in two of the Coalition’s fourteen thematic groups: the one on living wages and the one on AI for social impact.
Social justice was just one of many key topics addressed at the International Labour Conference 2025. The WEC delegation also played an active role in the discussions on innovative approaches to addressing informality and the negotiations on a global standard for platform work. Read more on what we achieved!
