SDG - Aligned Budgeting to Transform Employment in Mongolia

Awareness campaign educates youth in Mongolia about their rights at work

With the support of "SDG-Aligned Budgeting to Transform Employment in Mongolia" project funded by the European Union, the National Decent Work for Youth Network (DWYN) continues to make powerful advances in its mission to educate and empower young people about their rights at work, and how to assert them.

News | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | 20 January 2023
Online awareness-raising campaign conducted by DWYN in 2022, photoshoot posters. © ILO

In 2021, the Parliament of Mongolia revised the Labour Law in an effort to strengthen employment relationships and protect the rights of all workers, including young people. The revision aligns the law with international labour standards and is effective from January 1, 2022. Promoting the revised law to youth is crucial for overcoming challenges faced by young people in the labour market, and for establishing appropriate and effective employment relationships between youth and employers, as well as supporting them to exercise their labour rights in both informal and formal employment. And by recognising this need, “SDG-Aligned Budgeting to Transform Employment in Mongolia” project funded by the European Union supported the National Decent Work for Youth Network (DWYN) to launch a yearly awareness-raising campaign under the aegis of the UN Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth, a global alliance working together to create more and better jobs for young people and promote their labour rights.

In September 2022, campaign's second phase targeting young people in the construction, textile, and service industries, was successfully implemented, building momentum for future campaigns and attracting much-needed attention by reaching close to a million young people in Mongolia through a combination of a digital campaign and in-person training. The digital campaign included social media cards, infographics, storytelling short videos and podcasts developed by the Young Mongolian Professionals Association “YOUTHinc.” in partnership with the DWYN. The in-person training provided more detailed and interactive education on the opportunities and challenges facing young people in the labour market and how to support them in finding decent and productive work.

This phase of the campaign aimed to equip Mongolian youth in the selected sectors with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their working conditions and rights, support them in identifying and resolving labour rights issues they may encounter, with insights gained from a survey of 160 young working people.

Construction workers responding to the DWYN's campaign survey on youth labour rights. © ILO
The survey, designed and conducted by a team of experienced consultants, a digital lead and legal expert, between July and August 2022, focused on working conditions, knowledge of labour law, ability and means to communicate workplace grievances and other issues germane to healthy, productive and respectful employment. While the survey confirmed that there are still many gaps between the laws and regulations regarding employment rights and the perception of Mongolian youth, through further research and analysis, the team managed to identify effective communication channels that youth trusted, and based on their answers, as well as analysing best practices of the previous year's campaign, developed a new strategy for educating youth about their rights at work.

Survey highlights

  • 3 out of 4 respondents of the survey get information related to labour relations via social media channels
  • 1 out of 4 young people answered that they think their labour rights had been violated in some way
  • 1 out of 3 young people answered that they were unaware that the Mongolian Labour Law had been revised and implemented
  • Almost a third of young respondents said they hadn't signed or had access to their employment contracts
  • Around 28% of young people answered that they worked without a formal job description
  • 1 out of 3 young people work hours in contravention of the labour law
  • Majority respondents don’t know how to resolve labour disputes in the workplace. 40% of them replied that they tell their seniors, supervisors, and 34% said they inform their friends and family members
It is important to note that this information should be taken in the context of the specific survey and needs broader verification, it nonetheless suggests a troubling picture, but also presents development opportunity. 

The 2nd phase of the campaign conducted in 2022 reached close to a million young people in Mongolia through digital content, such as infographic and photoshoot disseminated via DWYN's official and related social media channels:
  • Infographic posters reaching 442,912 of Facebook and Instagram users;
  • Photoshoot posters reaching 463,769 of Facebook and Instagram users with over 328,372 impressions.
To view the digital resources of the annual awareness-raising campaign on Labour Rights of Youth in Mongolia click on the following links:

2022 Awareness-Raising Campaign on Youth Labour Rights in Mongolia:

2021 Awareness-Raising Campaign on Youth Labour Rights in Mongolia:

For more information please contact:

Tselmeg Urtnasan
Project Communication Officer
Country Office for China and Mongolia
urtnasan@ilo.org