Group of Twenty (G20)

The Group of Twenty (G20) includes 19 countries including Australia plus the European Union.

Members meet regularly to discuss ways to promote more inclusive economic growth and review progress on policy commitments.

Representation

Education and Employment issues are central to the G20 agenda.

The Department of Education, Skills and Employment represents Australia in the G20 Education Working Group and the G20 Employment Working Group, developing advice on a wide range of policy issues for:

• G20 Education Ministers
• G20 Labour and Employment Ministers
• G20 Leaders

Education

The G20 Education Working Group meets several times a year. The final meeting usually culminates in a G20 Education Ministerial Meeting.

The frequency of meetings is determined by the host country. So far, only two G20 Ministerial meetings have been held.

The first G20 Education Ministers’ Meeting was held under Argentina Presidency in 2018 when Argentina established an Education Working Group. The second G20 Education Ministers’ Meeting was held under Saudi Arabia’s Presidency in 2020.

The most recent G20 Education Ministerial meeting was held on 5 September 2020. At this meeting the Education Ministers endorsed a Ministerial Communique, committing to:

• build resilience and recovery plans into education systems to prepare more effectively for future disruptions
• Work collaboratively to address widespread disruptions in education and ensure learning continuity for all, especially the most vulnerable.

Employment

The G20 Employment Working Group meets several times a year, to prepare for the annual G20 Labour and Employment Ministerial meeting and progress previous G20 agreements.

Australia hosted the G20 Labour and Employment Ministerial Meeting in Melbourne in 2014. A major outcome was an agreement on:

• policy priorities for boosting female participation in the workforce
• a goal to reduce the gender gap in participation rates by 2025.

Most recently, in a largely virtual manner due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the G20 was hosted by Saudi Arabia. The Labour and Employment Ministers met in September 2020 and agreed to focus on issues including:

• The COVID-19 pandemic and the eventual recovery
• Women’s labour force participation
• Youth employment
• Behavioural economics approaches in program delivery

Italy will host the G20 in 2021.