"Companies urged to increase workforce disclosure to improve global working conditions"

Global companies that employ nearly 3.5 million people, with millions more working in their supply chains, have started to respond to calls for better workforce data – a request aimed at improving the quality of jobs worldwide and addressing poverty in less developed countries. A coalition of nearly 100 investors with over $10 trillion AUM – including the likes of Amundi, Legal and General Investment Management, AXA, APG, Union Investment, Nordea, BMO Global Asset Management and Australian Super – asked listed companies to disclose information about how they tackle challenges and harness opportunities in their direct operations and supply chains.The requests were made through ShareAction's Workforce Disclosure Initiative (WDI), seeking data from companies on how they manage issues like diversity, health and safety, precarious contracts, and worker voice. The WDI's ultimate goal is to improve the quality of jobs in the operations and supply chains of multinational companies, which would contribute towards poverty alleviation and the delivery of Sustainable Development Goal 8 – 'decent work for all'. Investors increasingly recognise that a key step towards securing fair conditions for all workers is better information from companies...In response to the investor call for transparency, nearly half of the targeted companies shared workforce data.