International Labour Review - Overview

The International Labour Review (ILR) is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary journal of international scope in labour and employment studies. Established in 1921 by decision of the ILO Governing Body, it is published quarterly in English, French and Spanish and administered by the ILO Research Department.

The ILR aims to advance academic research and inform policy debate and decision-making in all fields related to the world of work, such as economics, law, industrial relations, social policy, sociology and history, by publishing and bringing together the original thinking of academics and experts in those fields. It also features concise reports on current developments and reviews of recent major publications considered to be of particular interest to those working in these fields. 

ILR Centenary

The year 2021 marked the 100th anniversary of the ILR. To celebrate this milestone, the ILR launched various initiatives to highlight its history and multidisciplinary contributions to academic research and policy debate at the global level. These initiatives include an interactive timeline , exploring the people and events that have shaped the journal over the past 100 years, and the publication of a Centenary Collection . This is composed of a dedicated article revisiting the ILR’s history and guest-edited Centenary Issues examining recurring and enduring themes of past ILR articles.

Centenary Launch

A virtual event was organized on 12 July to mark the 100th anniversary of the International Labour Review (ILR). This showcased the history of the ILR and its contributions to academic research and policy debate on the world of work at the global level, with a particular focus on the discourse on informality. It was also be an occasion to present the various initiatives planned to celebrate this important anniversary.