Hello everyone! 🌍 As the annual International Labour Conference (ILC) 2026 nearly comes to a close, we sat down with one of the youth representatives actively taking part in the discussions.
We’re excited to feature Nea Laine, representative of the Finnish National Youth Council 🇫🇮, as she shares her experiences, engagement, and reflections from the conference.
Read our conversation below 👇 — and feel free to join in by sharing your own insights and reflections too.
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YouthForesight: Could you briefly introduce yourself and the organization you represent?
Nea: Hello! My name is Nea Laine. As Finland's Youth Delegate for Decent Work, I bring the perspectives of Finnish youth to both the international and domestic tables where today's labor market is discussed. My mandate represents over 1 million members across 130 youth organizations through Finland’s National Youth Council and Sector.
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YouthForesight: As a youth representative, how would you describe your level of engagement at this year’s ILC?
Nea: It was great! Our delegation was given the opportunity to deliver a youth statement in one of the committees, and together with the Danish youth delegates, we had highly meaningful conversations about the topics on this year's agenda with Nordic and international representatives. Because this was only the third time Finland has sent a youth delegate to the ILC, and given that youth are not directly represented there, we are currently doing our best to find collaborative ways to represent young people as impactfully as possible.
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YouthForesight: Which key discussions at the ILC do you think young people should be more involved in?
Nea: While the specific topics change almost every year, young people are deeply impacted by the labor market as a whole, regardless of the immediate matter at hand. On this year's agenda, the discussion surrounding social dialogue and tripartism is highly relevant, especially as the world of work is changing at a rapid speed.
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YouthForesight: What outcomes are you hoping for from this year’s ILC
Nea: Expanding briefly on my previous point, social dialogue must be modernized to include youth voices. These principles should be advanced through trusted national processes that give young people a real say in shaping their professional lives, and it would be great to see this explicitly stated in the official text.
Regarding this year's core conference negotiation, the platform economy, I support the consolidation of a principle-based, universally adaptable global framework for platform workers. Clear, predictable baselines for worker classification and human-in-the-loop algorithmic oversight are also highly relevant for young workers in the platform economy.
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Were you at the ILC 2026 too? Share us your thoughts and experience!