GILS composite index measuring progress toward ILO Decent Work across four dimensions: employment opportunities, rights at work, social protection, and social dialogue. Annual measurement since 2020.
| Dimension | Key indicators | 2020 | 2022 | 2024 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Employment Opportunities | Employment rate, unemployment, NEET, informality, youth employment | 55 | 58 | 61 | Improving |
| 2. Rights at Work | Labour law coverage, inspectorate capacity, non-discrimination, union rights, ILO convention compliance | 52 | 54 | 56 | Improving slowly |
| 3. Social Protection | Coverage, benefit adequacy, pension access, unemployment benefit, disability support | 45 | 46 | 48 | Flat/slow |
| 4. Social Dialogue | Collective bargaining coverage, union density, tripartite functioning, employer org strength | 48 | 49 | 51 | Flat/slow |
| OVERALL DECENT WORK INDEX | Weighted composite (equal weights) | 50 | 52 | 54 | Gradual improvement |
Scores are on a 0–100 scale, calibrated against ILO global benchmarks. 100 = full decent work achievement per ILO standards. EU average approximately 75/100 on comparable methodology. Score improvement reflects strong employment growth and legal reforms; slow social protection and dialogue scores reflect structural constraints.
The biggest gap. Only ~37% of workers have any social insurance coverage. TSA benefits cover ~4% of the Tbilisi living wage. The GEL 200/month unemployment benefit has not been updated since 2020. Informal workers — 37% of all employed — are excluded from the funded pension system. See Social Assistance Law →
Collective bargaining covers only ~18% of formal workers — one of the lowest rates in the European neighbourhood. No erga omnes extension mechanism. Union density at 15% is low. The Tripartite Commission meets but has produced few binding outcomes. See Collective Bargaining →
The gender pay gap of ~33% is unchanged for a decade and drags scores across all four dimensions. Women's employment rate lags men by ~20pp; women's NEET rate is double men's; women hold only 32% of managerial roles. No pay transparency mechanism exists. See Gender Pay Gap →
The GEL 20 nominal minimum wage is the single most visible institutional gap — a 1999 relic that applies to no one. Its absence as a functional floor penalises the most vulnerable workers and drags the Rights at Work score. A functional minimum wage alone would add ~3 points to the overall index. See Living Wage Tool →
The ILO Decent Work Index measures progress across four pillars: employment opportunities (access to productive work); rights at work (fundamental labour standards); social protection (coverage and adequacy); and social dialogue (tripartite and bipartite mechanisms). GILS applies this framework to Georgia annually, scoring each pillar on a 0-10 scale based on available Geostat, ILO, and MLHSA data.
The 2023 GILS Decent Work Index for Georgia: Employment — 5.8/10 (high underutilisation rate, youth unemployment, but positive ALMP trend); Rights at Work — 3.4/10 (minimal collective bargaining, anti-union discrimination, GEL 20 minimum wage); Social Protection — 5.2/10 (pension growing, TSA below subsistence, no unemployment insurance); Social Dialogue — 4.1/10 (tripartite commission exists but advisory only, employer-union cooperation minimal).
The 2023 GILS Decent Work Score for Georgia — 4.6/10 composite — reflects a country with genuine reform momentum but significant structural gaps. The Rights at Work score (3.4/10) is the critical outlier: it drags the composite below what Georgia's institutional development and EU integration trajectory would otherwise suggest. Closing this gap is the single most important labour policy priority for 2024-2026.
Publish the Decent Work Index as a formal annual report: 30pp; full methodology; historical trend (2019 baseline); comparisons with Armenia and Moldova; policy recommendations. Submit to Parliament Social Affairs Committee, MLHSA, ILO, and EU Delegation. ISSN registered.
ILO Decent Work measurement · PHIG publication infrastructure · GMJ distribution networkThe 3.4/10 score on Rights at Work requires urgent action: (1) minimum wage GEL 500 (2025); (2) employer refusal to bargain — LIS-sanctionable; (3) anti-union dismissal fine GEL 5,000-15,000; (4) LIS capacity doubled (budget GEL 8M additional). These four actions could raise the Rights score to 5.5/10 within 2 years.
ILO CEACR requirements · DCFTA Chapter 13 · DWCP Priority 2 rescue plan4.1/10 on Social Dialogue reflects an advisory-only tripartite process. Reform: (1) Tripartite Commission meets quarterly (mandatory); (2) agreements on minimum wage and key indicators have 90-day Parliament consideration requirement; (3) GILS secretariat support to Tripartite Commission (data, analysis). Target: 5.5/10 by 2026.
ILO C144 (tripartite consultation) · Estonia Social Dialogue Council · GTUC-GEA joint positionNo national working conditions survey exists. Commission GILS/Geostat joint survey: 3,000 workers; measures: working time, job satisfaction, workplace safety, harassment, work-life balance. Baseline: 2025. Repeat: 2028. Provides the missing qualitative dimension of Decent Work measurement.
Eurofound EWCS methodology · ILO working conditions measurement · PHIG survey infrastructureThe Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) should include Decent Work indicators as outcome metrics for MLHSA, ESDC, and LIS budget programmes. Currently labour policy spending is justified by activity counts (inspections, registrations) rather than outcome measures (coverage, wages, rights). GILS proposes 6 Decent Work KPIs for MTEF integration.
ILO results-based management · MoF MTEF reform · World Bank PFM programme Georgia| Convention / Standard | Subject | Ratified | Compliance | Key Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decent Work Pillar 1 | Employment Opportunities | 5.8/10 | Improving | LUR 28.6%; youth NEET 20.3%; ESDC scaling |
| Decent Work Pillar 2 | Rights at Work | 3.4/10 | At risk | CB 5%; min wage GEL 20; anti-union impunity |
| Decent Work Pillar 3 | Social Protection | 5.2/10 | Partial | Pension growing; no unemployment insurance; TSA inadequate |
| Decent Work Pillar 4 | Social Dialogue | 4.1/10 | Weak | Tripartite commission advisory only; irregular meetings |