This analysis was first published by the Georgian Institute of Labour Studies (GILS), an initiative of the Public Health Institute of Georgia. Read the original on labour.edu.ge →
Decent work is a social determinant of health. This scorecard brings together 15 sourced indicators of work in Georgia — from earnings and poverty to workplace deaths and the ratification of the ILO's occupational safety conventions.
An earlier version of this page presented a single “Decent Work Index” score for Georgia. GILS could not document the methodology and data behind that score to the standard we now require, and it has been withdrawn. In its place, this scorecard sets out 15 indicators across the ILO’s decent work dimensions, each with its latest value, its direction and its source — and no composite score that would hide the evidence behind a single number.
Key Findings
- Employment opportunities are weak and stagnant: unemployment was 13.9% in 2025, the employment rate 46.9%, and composite labour underutilisation 27.8% in 2025.
- Earnings are rising fast (GEL 2,466 a month in Q4 2025, +11.2%) and absolute poverty fell to 7.1% in 2025 — but the statutory minimum wage remains GEL 20.
- Equality indicators are mixed: the adjusted gender pay gap fell to 11.4% (hourly, 2024), while women’s participation fell to 44.2% in 2025.
- Social security and social dialogue are the weakest dimensions: no unemployment insurance, union membership of at most about one in six employees, and no official collective bargaining data.
- Recorded workplace deaths fell to 32 in 2025, but Georgia has not ratified the two ILO fundamental conventions on occupational safety and health.
1. Why a Scorecard, Not an Index
Composite indices are attractive because they summarise many indicators in one number. But they depend on choices — which indicators, which benchmarks, which weights — that are rarely visible to readers, and a single score can move for reasons unrelated to workers’ lives. Georgia also lacks several of the data series an index would need, such as collective bargaining coverage. GILS therefore presents the evidence indicator by indicator, organised by the ILO’s decent work dimensions, with sources for each.
2. The Scorecard
| Dimension | Indicator | Latest value | Direction | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment opportunities | Unemployment rate | 13.9% (2025) | Unchanged from 2024 | Geostat |
| Employment opportunities | Employment rate (15+) | 46.9% (2025) | Down 0.2 pts | Geostat |
| Employment opportunities | Composite labour underutilisation (LU4) | 27.8% (2025) | About twice the unemployment rate since 2020 | Geostat via PMCG |
| Employment opportunities | Unemployment, ages 15–19 | 39.0% (2025) | Up from 36.3% (2024) | Geostat |
| Adequate earnings | Average monthly earnings | GEL 2,466 (Q4 2025) | Up 11.2% year-on-year | Geostat |
| Adequate earnings | Statutory minimum wage (private) | GEL 20 (since 1999) | Unchanged; 0.8% of average earnings | Presidential Order No. 351 |
| Adequate earnings | Absolute poverty rate | 7.1% (2025) | Down from 9.4% (2024) | Geostat |
| Equal opportunity | Women’s labour force participation | 44.2% vs 66.3% men (2025) | Women down 0.7 pts | Geostat |
| Equal opportunity | Adjusted hourly gender pay gap | 11.4% (2024) | Down from 15.9% (2020) | Geostat |
| Stability and security | Informal employment | 37.1% (2022) | — | ILO (Pignatti, 2026) |
| Social security | Unemployment insurance | None | — | — |
| Safe work | Recorded workplace deaths | 32 (2025) | Reported −46% vs 2024 | Labour Inspection Service |
| Social dialogue | Union membership, share of employees | ≤15.7% (upper bound) | — | GILS calculation (GTUC, Geostat) |
| Social dialogue | Collective bargaining coverage | Not measured | — | No official statistic |
| Rights at work | ILO fundamental conventions ratified | 8 of 10 (not C155, C187) | — | EU Twinning Fiche (2023); ILO |
Sources and calculations are documented in the linked GILS analyses and references below.
3. What the Scorecard Shows
Growth without inclusion
The indicators that have improved most — earnings and poverty — are those driven by economic growth. The indicators that have stalled or worsened — participation, women’s participation, youth unemployment — are those that depend on institutions: childcare, employment services, social dialogue and labour market policy.
The institutional gap
The weakest dimensions are those requiring institutions Georgia lacks or has only recently built: a functioning minimum wage, unemployment insurance, collective bargaining and full ratification of fundamental conventions. These are also areas where EU candidate status brings benchmarks that Georgia does not yet meet.
The data gap
Several important indicators cannot be measured at all, or only infrequently: collective bargaining coverage, informal employment after 2022, accident rates per worker, and the employment of people with functional disabilities. Better measurement is itself a decent work priority.
4. Limitations
Indicators refer to different years depending on availability. Some values are GILS calculations from official data. The scorecard does not assign weights or an overall score, and comparisons with other countries are not included because comparable data were not verified for this edition.
5. Conclusion
Georgia’s labour market shows rising pay and falling poverty alongside weak employment, low participation and thin labour institutions. A transparent scorecard makes clear where progress is happening and where it is not. GILS will update it annually.
GILS Recommendations
- Adopt a national decent work monitoring framework, using ILO decent work indicators, published annually by Geostat.
- Fill the data gaps: collective bargaining coverage, regular informality estimates, accident rates per worker and disability employment.
- Prioritise the institutional dimensions: minimum wage law, unemployment insurance and social dialogue.
- Use the Decent Work Country Programme to set targets for the weakest indicators.
GILS Position
GILS withdrew a single-number index it could not fully document. We believe evidence on decent work should be transparent and checkable. This scorecard is our commitment to that standard.
References
- GBC (2026). The unemployment rate in 2025 has not changed — 13.9%. gbc.ge
- Geostat (2026). Average Monthly Nominal Earnings of Employees (IV Quarter, 2025). geostat.ge
- GBC (2025). The gender pay gap is almost 20%. gbc.ge
- PMCG Research (2025). Labor Market Overview: Georgia, Issue 151. research.pmcg-i.com
- Pignatti, C. (2026). Recent Trends on Informal Employment in Georgia. ILO Working Paper 159. doi.org/10.54394/MOJI5185
- Georgia Today (2026). Labor Inspection Service 2025 report: 32 workplace fatalities. georgiatoday.ge
- EU Twinning Fiche (2023). GE 21 NDICI SO 02 23. esteri.it
- ILO (2013). Decent Work Indicators: Guidelines for Producers and Users of Statistical and Legal Framework Indicators. Geneva: ILO.
Suggested citation: GILS Research Team (2026). Decent Work Scorecard for Georgia. Editor: G. Pkhakadze. Georgian Institute of Labour Studies, Tbilisi. labour.edu.ge
GILS analyses are prepared with AI-assisted drafting. All figures and claims are verified against the cited primary sources and reviewed under the responsibility of the Editor.
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