Co-Chair
Oscar
De La Vega Gómez
Co-Chair
Regina Glaser
Global Employment Institute (GEI)
The International Bar Association Global Employment Institute (IBA GEI) was formed in early 2010 for the purpose of developing a global and strategic approach to the main legal issues in the human resources and human capital fields for multinationals and worldwide institutions.
About the Institute
The International Bar Association Global Employment Institute (IBA GEI) was formed in early 2010 for the purpose of developing a global and strategic approach to the main legal issues in the human resources and human capital fields for multinationals and worldwide institutions.
The IBA GEI works with the Employment and Industrial Relations Law Committee, the Discrimination and Equality Law Committee and the Immigration and Nationality Law Committee to form the Human Resources Section.
Drawing on the wealth and resource of the IBA membership, the IBA GEI's skilled, dedicated and experienced members provide a unique employment, discrimination and immigration law contribution to private and public organisations throughout the world on a diverse range of global issues. This is designed to enhance the management, performance and productivity of those organisations and to achieve best practice in their human capital and management functions in a strategic perspective.
IBA GEI’s activities include:
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Reports on the impact of market and business trends on international HR legal practice;
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Research and analysis on key issues affecting management and human capital functions within multinationals;
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Strategic commentary and opinions on discrete areas of employment, discrimination and immigration practice and their relevance to current business trends;
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Providing commentary to proposed new or reformed government legislation on major HR legal issues;
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Commentary and analysis on strategic management and HR legal issues affecting certain globalised industries and market sectors;
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Training and education of HR professionals and managers on strategic and global HR issues;
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Together with the IBA’s Employment and Industrial Relations Law, Discrimination Law, and Immmigration and Nationality Law Committees, organising conference sessions on global and strategic employment and HR legal issues of topical interest.
The IBA Global Employment Institute is becoming the leading voice and authority on global HR issues by virtue of having a number of the world's leading labour and employment practitioners in its ranks, and the support and resource of the world's largest association of international lawyers.
Join the IBA Global Employment Institute! If you are not yet a member of the IBA Global Employment Institute, we encourage you to join and benefit from all the IBA GEI has to offer.
Projects and Reports
Digitalisation (Artificial Intelligence and Robotics) and its Impact on the World of Work
Part II of the report Digitalisation (Artificial Intelligence and Robotics) and its Impact on the World of Work explores the extensive and complex impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics on the global labour market. As AI systems advance rapidly, they introduce both opportunities for productivity and risks of job displacement. The report identifies generative AI as a general-purpose technology (GPT), capable of transforming various industries akin to the steam engine or the internet by increasing efficiency, automating content creation and fostering innovation in automated services and business models.
The impact of automation across sectors reveals that routine tasks and roles are most vulnerable. Significant shifts are expected in office work, customer service and production, while sectors such as IT, healthcare and engineering may experience job growth driven by new technological demands. Future AI advancements, including large action models (LAMs), are poised to enhance AI’s capacity to automate complex tasks, pushing industries like transportation and customer care toward greater autonomy.
From a regulatory standpoint, there is a pressing need for adaptive, international legal frameworks to address labour and employment issues arising from rapid technological change. Key policy recommendations include the development of guidelines for employee data protection, fair monitoring practices, and the modernisation of social security systems to accommodate workers in non-traditional roles, such as gig and platform workers.
Economic inequalities are likely to be exacerbated by AI adoption, with advanced economies benefiting more due to substantial investments in AI, thereby widening the gap with emerging markets. To mitigate this, prioritising digital literacy, lifelong learning and both public and private investments in workforce adaptability are essential. Furthermore, the need for flexibility in labour policies, coupled with a societal shift toward greater acceptance of AI, is crucial to facilitate the effective adaptation of workers and industries to ongoing and future digital transformations.
Twelfth Annual Global Report
Political and environmental factors, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the climate crisis, are together reshaping employment landscapes around the world. In the twelfth annual report from the International Bar Association Global Employment Institute – based on data from lawyers in 54 countries – issues such as the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the shift towards remote work and the challenge of skilled labour shortages are identified as key areas for the human resources (HR) sector. Sustainability is also becoming increasingly relevant in terms of HR management.
Eleventh Annual Global Report
Employers and governments across the world are paying greater attention to sustainability and the promotion of ethical business, states the eleventh annual report from the International Bar Association Global Employment Institute (IBA GEI). Issues such as environmental responsibility, sustainability and mental health in the workplace are identified as key areas for the human resources (HR) sector.
Tenth Annual Global Report
Issues connected to the ‘new normal’ way of working following the global COVID-19 outbreak present fresh challenges for human resources (HR) law, according to the tenth annual report by the International Bar Association Global Employment Institute (IBA GEI). Remote working arrangements, the right to disconnect from work and data privacy challenges related to requirements to be tested or vaccinated are identified as three key issues facing the HR sector in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Ninth Annual Global Report
Amid the unprecedented challenges that workplaces have faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ninth annual report by the International Bar Association Global Employment Institute (IBA GEI) has been published with a dedicated section on the impact the virus has had on workplaces across the globe. The section includes analysis of both government-led initiatives and employers’ initiatives to mitigate effects on health and safety in workplaces and for societies in general.
Global Best Practices for Conducting Internal Investigations
With businesses under more scrutiny than ever before as allegations of wrongdoing are increasingly being made public, a new report published by the International Bar Association Global Employment Institute (IBA GEI) states internal company investigations are taking on unprecedented importance.
Eighth Annual Global Report
The Eighth Annual Global Report from the IBA Global Employment Institute names corruption and whistleblowing, flexible working, stress and mental health, discrimination, diversity, technology and artificial intelligence, and gender pay inequalities as some of the most pressing issues having a significant impact on human resources (HR) law. Based on research collected from lawyers in 50 countries, the report delves into the most pertinent labour and HR issues faced by global multinational companies during 2018 and the beginning of 2019.
The On-Demand Economy
A new report from the International Bar Association Global Employment Institute urges policymakers to create bespoke legislation for the de facto ‘third category’ of workers engaged in the on-demand economy (ODE) to provide them with greater protection and to boost innovation. Many ODE workers face a lack of legal protection or insecurity about their rights and obligations, which may lead to exploitation of workers by ODE companies, the report states.
IBA Report on the Future of Work
In 2017, the International Labour Organization (ILO), a UN body aimed at advancing social justice and promoting decent work, opened up a crucial debate about the future of work. The debate developed worldwide until June 2020.
The Legal Practice Division (LPD) of the International Bar Association (IBA) agreed that this important topic, with its multiple legal dimensions and implications, provided a pertinent opportunity to collaborate with the ILO. The IBA is pleased to announce the launch of the IBA Report on the Future of Work (Special Considerations to Law and Disruptive Technologies) as a result of this mutual collaboration. The report forms an important contribution to the ILO debate about the future of work.
Key to the ILO debate is that it involves not only employment and immigration legal perspectives, but also concerns important work regulation topics from other legal fields. These include the legal impact of new technologies in the workplace; health and safety; intellectual property; and data protection. The IBA’s report therefore features contributions by a number of IBA member Committees, covering a diverse range of legal areas. These contributions are followed in the report by key conclusions and findings.
The Seventh Annual Global Report
In its seventh Annual Global Report, the IBA GEI highlights general international trends in HR law. The information is compiled from the surveyed responses of lawyers in 46 countries, who were asked to consider the most relevant issues relating to employment, industrial relations, discrimination and immigration law during 2017 and the start of 2018, and to explain concisely their significance. The report builds on the historical perspective of previous editions of the publication.
International Labour Standards Report - December 2018
The International Bar Association Global Employment Institute (IBA GEI) and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) have pooled their expertise to provide companies with further guidance and clarity on an area of increasing importance to business: International Labour Standards (ILS). The ILS are legal instruments, set by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and agreed by ILO tripartite constituents, which protect basic worker rights, taking into account, inter alia, the need for sustainable enterprises to create jobs. They are either conventions, which are legally binding international treaties upon ratification, or recommendations, which serve as non-binding guidelines.