The Labour Transparency Framework

The framework has four connected layers. Each has a distinct role; none substitutes for the others.

1. Labour Transparency CodeDefines the outcomes that participating supply chains expect to see.

2. Labour Identity InfrastructureCreates verifiable links between workers, employers, labour providers and worksites.

3. Assurance and governanceUses those records for risk-based assurance, investigation and improvement.

4. Market adoptionEmbeds expectations through industry programmes, buyer requirements, certification or export systems.

1. The Code

The Code sets minimum transparency expectations. It defines what should be capable of being demonstrated, without prescribing a specific technical solution. From Compliance Activity to Assurance Infrastructure explores why those expectations should become part of durable systems rather than remain periodic paperwork.

2. Labour identity infrastructure

Sometimes described as Know Your Workforce (KYW), this is the ability to verify and connect:

• a worker to their responsible employer;
• an employer to declared labour providers;
• labour participation to a worksite and period; and
• a production site to the relevant supply chain.

Interoperability matters. Useful records may be held in payroll, onboarding, time-and-attendance, contractor-management or onsite systems. The aim is reliable exchange and verification, not forced centralisation. Federated Trust and Share Claims, Not Copies describe the privacy-resilient coordination model behind this approach.

3. Assurance and governance

Audits, worker reporting, investigation and risk monitoring remain essential. They become more effective when they draw on continuous, attributable records rather than relying only on point-in-time documentation. See From Signals to Patterns for how corroborated signals can support judgement, and Assurance Must Be Proportionate for the boundaries around access and response.

4. Market adoption

Standards acquire practical force when supply chains adopt them. Adoption could occur through assurance programmes, certification schemes, buyer requirements or export supply-chain expectations. Participation Needs Incentives considers what makes that participation durable.

Related reading

• Product Traceability Is Mature. Workforce Traceability Is Not. — the visibility gap the framework is designed to address.
• Labour Supply Chains Are Not Linear — why the framework connects relationships, sites and events.
• Workforce Traceability Is Governance Infrastructure — the maturity path from records to an embedded standard.