Working at the ILO: international, local and development cooperation jobs

The International Labour Organization recruits for its regular programme and for development cooperation projects funded around the world. Its careers site separates International, Development Cooperation, Local and Temporary opportunities because eligibility and career expectations differ.

A P-3 project post and a P-3 regular-budget post can share a grade while following different selection provisions.

Staff categories and recruitment streams

Internationally recruited Professional positions use grades P-1 through P-5, with Director and higher levels above them. The ILO international recruitment page also applies its published international conditions to P-1 through P-5 Professional vacancies in the Development Cooperation category.

Local vacancies cover General Service and, where used, national professional functions. They depend on residence, nationality or work authorization stated in the notice. General Service work includes administrative, technical and operational support. The ILO’s three working languages are English, French and Spanish, and each vacancy specifies the required combination.

Development Cooperation is a funding and recruitment stream, not a staff grade. It includes Professional and local project positions. Current notices often state that technical cooperation appointments do not lead to an ILO career and carry no expectation of renewal or conversion.

Contract terminology

The current ILO Staff Regulations govern officials. Public ILO material distinguishes regular, fixed-term and short-term forms.

A regular contract has no fixed period of employment. A fixed-term contract is issued for a defined period of at least one year. The Staff Regulations permit fixed terms of up to five years and say that renewal creates no expectation of another contract or conversion.

Short-term and special short-term appointments meet temporary needs for shorter periods under the applicable rules. The exact duration is shown in the vacancy.

External recruits normally encounter a stated fixed-term or short-term offer. They should not assume that a regular contract will follow. The appointment letter identifies the legal commitment.

Development Cooperation vacancies can use fixed-term or short-term contracts. Many are filled under the direct-selection provision for technical cooperation projects, which differs from the competition procedure for regular programme vacancies. The notice explains who may apply and whether internal candidates receive priority.

External collaborators

The ILO calls individual consultants external collaborators. They are independent contractors who provide a defined product or advisory service, such as a study, report, IT design, research assignment or translation.

The official consultant page states that external collaborators are not ILO officials and are outside the Staff Regulations. They are paid for contracted days used to produce accepted deliverables. Fee ranges depend on assignment complexity and the contractor’s place of residence.

Since 1 July 2025, ILO external collaborator opportunities are published through the United Nations Global Marketplace. Applicants register under the individual consultant track on UNGM and follow the opportunity into the ILO e-Sourcing system. This is separate from applying for staff vacancies at jobs.ilo.org.

Main job families

ILO technical work covers international labour standards, labour law, fundamental principles and rights at work, employment policy, skills, social protection, occupational safety and health, labour administration and social dialogue.

Other roles address wages, working time, labour statistics, economics, migration, gender equality, child labour, forced labour and the cooperative economy. Development cooperation officers combine technical knowledge with project design, donor reporting and work with governments, employers’ organizations and workers’ organizations.

ILO’s tripartite structure makes stakeholder experience especially relevant. A labour-policy applicant should explain work with public authorities and social partners instead of listing policy research alone.

The Office also recruits in finance, human resources, procurement, information technology, legal services, communications, translation, interpretation, conference services and administration.

International and local eligibility

International Professional vacancies are open according to the nationality and representation conditions in the notice. International staff can serve at Geneva headquarters or in field locations.

Local posts require the local status stated in the advertisement. A Development Cooperation vacancy may be internationally recruited at P level or locally recruited at a national or GS level. The project name does not answer that question.

Applying

Staff vacancies are published on ILO Jobs. Create an account and submit online; the ILO does not accept CVs by email. Read the first paragraphs carefully because they describe candidate eligibility and the governing selection procedure.

Document education, languages and dates accurately. For technical jobs, connect experience to ILO standards, constituents and programme results. For project jobs, include funding, delivery and partner-management evidence.

The ILO never charges recruitment fees or requests bank details during recruitment. Confirm whether an opportunity belongs on ILO Jobs or UNGM, then use that official channel only.