CoLABOR 2021 Conference
PRESS RELEASE
Universities, companies, and the non-profit sector launch a data platform for work and social protection
It's called DataLABOR and it will provide national and international data on work, employment, and social protection. It originates from a collaborative laboratory, CoLABOR, which brings together higher education institutions, three of the largest national employers, and the social sector. It will contribute to the formulation of public policies, such as the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and at the same time provide companies, trade unions, business organizations, and third-sector organizations with the information necessary for management, decision-making, and strategy formulation.
DataLABOR, an innovative platform that aggregates and provides access to statistical and legal data on work and employment, social protection, and the social and solidarity economy in Portugal, will be presented on November 6, 2020. The presentation will take place in Auditorium 2 of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, in a session that will include the participation of the Prime Minister, António Costa, and the presence of leading figures from the Associates.
DataLABOR is an initiative of CoLABOR, the Collaborative Laboratory for Work, Employment and Social Protection created by eight entities: the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra; the Institute of Economic, Financial and Tax Law of the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon; ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon; the National Confederation of Solidarity Institutions – CNIS; the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa; Delta Cafés; the Sonae Group; and MotaEngil.
“This is an innovative platform that aggregates statistical and legal data with the aim of simplifying access to national and international data on work, employment and social protection,” says Manuel Carvalho da Silva, coordinator of CoLABOR and former trade unionist. “It results from the collaboration between higher education, large companies and the third sector, constituting a contribution from civil society to reflection and a broader, more informed and in-depth public debate.”.
According to Manuel Carvalho da Silva, DataLABOR is also "a contribution to the formulation of knowledge-based public policies." He highlights the platform's technological advancement and innovative data processing, as well as the ease with which individuals or institutions can access and cross-reference reliable information from official sources.
“DataLABOR fills an existing gap in the availability of data on the world of work and social protection, linking data and legislation in order to inform public policies and support decision-making by private and associative entities, in a logic of action and prospecting,” says Manuel Carvalho da Silva.
Eight associates “on an equal footing”
In addition to integrating access to official national and international databases, DataLABOR may in the future also be fed by research within the scope of CoLABOR. This research will naturally focus on the areas of work and employment, social protection and the social and solidarity economy, with contributions from scientific projects under development in the Laboratory, some of them in partnership with its associates.
However, research can also originate from requests from the members themselves or from external entities, whether public, business, or associative. CoLABOR already has a study on Angolan social protection in its portfolio. Requests for socioeconomic profile studies of certain regions of the country, or even specific municipalities, are also expected, so that public entities can, for example, define policies to promote employment and job quality, or social and solidarity economy entities can characterize needs in their social responses, or private entities can assess the demand for or qualifications of workers.
CoLABOR's members include three of the largest private employers in Portugal, some of the most representative entities in the social and solidarity sector, and research centers from three leading universities at the national and international level. The principle of the Collaborative Laboratory is that everyone has the same institutional weight, contributing and working together "on an equal footing" with common goals.
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