Where will the joint IWPLMS and IREC Conferences be held?

The conferences will take place in Oslo, NOR.

What is the primary focus of these conferences?

The conferences are dedicated to confronting inequality, bringing together research and policy discussions on various aspects of disparities.

Who is organizing this event?

The event is organized by Fafo, as indicated by the application URL.

What kind of format will the conferences follow?

The event is structured as joint conferences, suggesting a collaborative and interdisciplinary format for addressing inequality.

Confronting Inequality – Joint IWPLMS and IREC Conferences

Name: Confronting Inequality – Joint IWPLMS and IREC Conferences
Start: 2026-09-16T00:00:00Z
End: 2026-09-18T00:00:00Z
Location: Oslo

Sep 16–18, 2026Oslo, NorwayIn-person

Registration open

The joint IWPLMS and IREC Conferences, held in Oslo, NOR, will convene experts to address the multifaceted challenges of inequality. This event brings together two distinct but complementary conferences, fostering a comprehensive dialogue on the causes, manifestations, and potential solutions to various forms of inequality. Participants will engage in discussions aimed at advancing research and policy interventions.

Committees & topics

Topics
Inequality in the Labour Market · Labour Market Segmentation · Industrial Relations · Social Dialogue · Job Quality · Working Conditions · Labour Market Mobility

Why it matters

Inequality, in its various forms, poses significant threats to global stability, economic development, and social cohesion. Addressing these disparities is crucial for achieving sustainable development goals and fostering inclusive societies. The concentration of wealth and opportunity in certain segments of the population, both within and across national borders, can lead to social unrest, political instability, and hinder overall progress.

This conference is particularly relevant as it combines insights from two distinct research communities, allowing for a more holistic understanding of inequality. By bringing together diverse perspectives, the event aims to bridge gaps in current research and policy approaches, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration. The discussions will likely touch upon economic, social, and political dimensions of inequality, offering a platform for sharing innovative solutions and best practices from around the world.

The outcomes of such gatherings can inform policy-makers, international organizations, and civil society groups in their efforts to design and implement effective strategies for reducing inequality. Understanding the complex interplay of factors contributing to these disparities is the first step towards creating more equitable systems and ensuring that the benefits of progress are shared more broadly.

How to prepare

Delegates preparing for this conference should focus on understanding the various dimensions of inequality, including economic, social, and political aspects. A strong grasp of current global trends in wealth distribution, access to resources, and opportunities will be beneficial. Familiarity with different theoretical frameworks for analyzing inequality, such as those related to social justice and economic disparities, will enhance participation.

Consider how different national contexts influence the manifestation and perception of inequality. For instance, the challenges faced by developing nations may differ significantly from those in highly industrialized countries. Preparing case studies or examples from specific countries, particularly those with innovative approaches to addressing inequality, could enrich discussions and provide practical insights. Engaging with the concept of 'hidden stakeholders' (see /learn/lessons/hidden-stakeholders) is also relevant, as marginalized groups are often disproportionately affected by inequality and their voices may be underrepresented.

Participants should also be prepared to discuss policy interventions and their effectiveness. This includes understanding different 'engagement strategies' (see /learn/lessons/engagement-strategies) for involving various stakeholders in policy formulation and implementation. Reflecting on the ethical implications of different approaches to inequality and the potential for unintended consequences will also be valuable. The 'dynamic analysis' (see /learn/lessons/dynamic-analysis) of how inequalities evolve over time and in response to various shocks (e.g., economic crises, technological shifts) will be a key area of discussion.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 5 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Norway

As the host nation, NOR is likely to emphasize its model of social democracy and robust welfare state as a means of mitigating inequality, while also acknowledging internal challenges.

Role in topic

NOR, with its strong social safety nets and high levels of social trust, often serves as a case study for policies aimed at reducing income disparities and ensuring universal access to public services. Its perspective will likely highlight the importance of collective action and strong institutions in addressing inequality.

United States

The USA will likely focus on market-based solutions and individual opportunity, while also grappling with significant wealth and income disparities.

Role in topic

The USA presents a complex picture regarding inequality, characterized by significant debates around economic mobility, racial disparities, and access to healthcare and education. Its delegates may emphasize innovation and philanthropy as drivers of change, alongside policy discussions on taxation and social programs.

Brazil

BRA will likely highlight the challenges of historical inequalities, particularly those related to race and geography, and efforts to implement social inclusion programs.

Role in topic

BRA has a history of profound social and economic inequality, with significant disparities between urban and rural areas, and along racial lines. Its perspective will be crucial for understanding the impact of historical legacies and the role of targeted social policies in addressing deep-seated inequalities.

South Africa

ZAF will likely focus on the enduring legacy of apartheid and ongoing efforts to achieve economic transformation and redress historical injustices.

Role in topic

ZAF provides a critical perspective on post-colonial and post-apartheid inequality, where historical injustices continue to shape contemporary economic and social structures. Discussions from ZAF will likely center on land reform, affirmative action, and inclusive economic growth strategies.

India

IND will likely discuss the challenges of inequality in a rapidly developing economy, including caste-based disparities and the urban-rural divide.

Role in topic

IND, as a large and diverse nation, faces significant challenges related to economic, social, and regional inequalities. Its perspective will be vital for understanding how rapid economic growth can exacerbate or alleviate existing disparities, and the role of social policies in a developing context.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Inequality in the Labour Market

Labour market inequality refers to the persistent and widening gaps in wages, employment opportunities, and economic security across workers stratified by gender, race, migration status, education, and geography. Since the 1980s, most OECD economies have seen rising wage dispersion, driven by skill-biased technological change, the decline of collective bargaining coverage, financialization, and the offshoring of routine manufacturing tasks. The ILO Global Wage Report has repeatedly documented stagnant real wages at the bottom of the distribution alongside accelerating income capture by top earners, while the gender pay gap remains stuck near 20 percent globally. The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent cost-of-living crisis sharpened these divides: low-paid essential workers bore the heaviest health risks while remote-capable professionals preserved or grew their incomes. More recently, the diffusion of generative AI has raised concerns that white-collar middle-skill jobs may face the same hollowing-out that automation imposed on manufacturing. Policy debate now centers on minimum wage adequacy (including the EU Adequate Minimum Wage Directive of 2022), the extension of collective bargaining, tax-and-transfer redistribution, and targeted active labour market policies for groups most exposed to exclusion.

Key players

Labour Market Segmentation

Labour market segmentation describes the structural division of workforces into distinct tiers — typically a 'primary' segment of stable, well-paid, protected jobs and a 'secondary' segment of precarious, low-paid, and often informal work — between which mobility is limited. The concept emerged from dual labour market theory in the 1970s (Doeringer and Piore) and has since been extended to capture insider–outsider dynamics in continental Europe, the formal–informal divide in developing economies, and the rise of platform and gig work globally. The ILO estimates that roughly 58 percent of the world's employed population works informally. Reforms intended to reduce segmentation have produced mixed results. Southern European countries liberalized fixed-term contracts in the 1990s and 2000s, often deepening duality rather than easing it; Spain's 2021 labour reform sought to reverse this by restricting temporary contracts. The EU's 2019 Directive on Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions and the 2024 Platform Work Directive attempt to address the newer frontier of algorithmic management and bogus self-employment. Today the debate concerns whether single open-ended contracts, sectoral bargaining extension, or stronger enforcement against misclassification are most effective at narrowing the gap between protected and unprotected workers.

Key players

Industrial Relations

Industrial relations encompass the institutions and processes — trade unions, employer associations, collective bargaining, works councils, and labour courts — that govern the employment relationship. The post-war 'golden age' of industrial relations in advanced economies rested on tripartism, sectoral bargaining, and high union density. From the 1980s onward, deregulation, the decline of manufacturing, and corporate restructuring eroded these institutions: OECD-wide union density fell from roughly a third of workers in 1985 to about 15 percent today, and bargaining coverage has shrunk except where legal extension mechanisms persist. The current landscape is uneven. Nordic and several continental European systems retain high coverage through autonomous social partners or extension clauses, while Anglophone and many Central/Eastern European countries display fragmented enterprise-level bargaining. The EU Adequate Minimum Wage Directive obliges member states with coverage below 80 percent to adopt action plans to expand bargaining. Meanwhile, new union drives at major US employers (Amazon, Starbucks, the UAW), platform worker organizing across Europe and Latin America, and the ILO's centenary push on 'freedom of association' point to a tentative revival of collective voice — even as employer pushback and supply-chain fragmentation complicate enforcement.

Key players

Job Quality

Job quality has emerged as an organising concept for assessing work beyond mere employment counts, integrating earnings, labour market security, and the quality of the working environment. The OECD Job Quality Framework (2014) and the European Foundation's Job Quality Index operationalise these dimensions, and the SDG 8 indicator framework explicitly targets 'decent work for all'. Empirical research has shown that countries with similar unemployment rates can differ markedly in job quality, and that poor-quality jobs generate adverse health, productivity, and social cohesion outcomes. Policy attention intensified after the pandemic, when essential but low-quality jobs in care, logistics, and retail proved indispensable yet under-rewarded. The 'great resignation', tightening labour markets, and four-day-week experiments in the UK, Iceland, and elsewhere have pushed quality onto employer agendas. At the same time, AI-enabled monitoring, intensification of work pace, and the spread of non-standard contracts threaten to erode quality even where wages rise. Debate focuses on how to embed quality metrics in public procurement, corporate reporting (e.g. CSRD social indicators), and active labour market policy.

Key players

Working Conditions

Working conditions span working time, occupational safety and health (OSH), work intensity, the physical and psychosocial environment, and access to leave and benefits. The ILO's foundational conventions on hours of work (C1, 1919) and weekly rest, and the elevation in 2022 of a safe and healthy working environment to a fundamental principle and right at work, anchor the international normative framework. Despite progress, the ILO estimates that nearly three million workers die each year from work-related causes, and exposure to long hours, heat stress, and psychosocial risks is rising. Climate change has emerged as a new frontier: outdoor and indoor heat exposure is projected to cut global working hours equivalent to tens of millions of full-time jobs by 2030, with the heaviest burden falling on agriculture and construction workers in South Asia, West Africa, and the Gulf. Migrant labour conditions — highlighted by scrutiny of the Kafala system and major sporting event construction — remain contentious. Domestically, debates concern remote work and the 'right to disconnect' (legislated in France, Belgium, Portugal, and Australia), regulation of algorithmic management, and renewed attention to mental health at work.

Key players

Labour Market Mobility

Labour market mobility covers movement between jobs, occupations, sectors, regions, and countries — a key adjustment mechanism for matching workers to opportunities and absorbing structural shocks. Internal mobility within advanced economies has trended downward since the 1990s, with declining job-to-job transitions in the US and limited regional mobility in much of Europe, while occupational mobility is constrained by skills mismatches and credential recognition gaps. International mobility, by contrast, has reached historic highs: the UN estimates over 280 million international migrants, of whom roughly 170 million are migrant workers, sustaining remittance flows above 800 billion USD per year. Mobility policy now sits at the intersection of demographic change, the green and digital transitions, and geopolitical realignment. Aging societies (Germany, Japan, Korea, Italy) are competing for skilled migrants and care workers, while origin countries balance brain drain concerns with remittance gains. EU labour mobility is shaped by free movement, the posted workers directive, and the Skills Pact; the GCC corridor and the ASEAN frameworks raise distinct issues around portability of rights. Key debates include recognition of qualifications, social security portability (ILO C102, C118, C157), ethical recruitment in health care (WHO Code), and reskilling systems to support intra-national mobility out of declining industries.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for Confronting Inequality – Joint IWPLMS and IREC Conferences.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

India's 131st Amendment Bill

US Job Openings at 6.7M

Japan's Dilemma Over Hormuz Mine Clearance

Pakistan-Linked Terror Network in Karnataka

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Stakeholder Mapping Workshop

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Media & Press Relations

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Norway September 2026

By committee

Frequently asked questions

Confronting Inequality – Joint IWPLMS and IREC Conferences

Sep 16–18, 2026Oslo, NorwayIn-person

Registration open

Committees & topics

Topics
Inequality in the Labour Market · Labour Market Segmentation · Industrial Relations · Social Dialogue · Job Quality · Working Conditions · Labour Market Mobility

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 5 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Norway

As the host nation, NOR is likely to emphasize its model of social democracy and robust welfare state as a means of mitigating inequality, while also acknowledging internal challenges.

Role in topic

United States

The USA will likely focus on market-based solutions and individual opportunity, while also grappling with significant wealth and income disparities.

Role in topic

Brazil

BRA will likely highlight the challenges of historical inequalities, particularly those related to race and geography, and efforts to implement social inclusion programs.

Role in topic

South Africa

ZAF will likely focus on the enduring legacy of apartheid and ongoing efforts to achieve economic transformation and redress historical injustices.

Role in topic

India

IND will likely discuss the challenges of inequality in a rapidly developing economy, including caste-based disparities and the urban-rural divide.

Role in topic