Tech Against Trafficking Publishes Gap Analysis to Advance Forced Labor Supply Chain Data Standardization 

May 2025

Two new Tech Against Trafficking (TAT) reports provide comprehensive insights into how businesses and public sector actors collect data on forced labor risks, and opportunities for greater standardization, based on over a year of research and stakeholder engagement.

The first report, Standardizing Data Collection on Forced Labor: Benchmark of Practices and Gap Analysis, examines practical examples in collecting forced labor data points across private sector value chains. Through a benchmark of data collection practices, the report finds that:

1. There is a need for clearer standards on what may amount to forced labor; proxy data that are more helpful to assess risks, and simplified language to translate ILO forced labor indicators into a business context.
2. Forced labor questions in company and industry self-assessment questionnaires should be simplified to avoid duplication and make them fit for purpose.
3. Alternative and less extractive data points should be explored to complement the ILO indicators and track human rights compliance over time.

The second publication, Governments as Intermediaries of Forced Labor Data, summarizes insights from a policy dialogue series with government and intergovernmental stakeholders, which TAT conducted in 2024. It examines how government data—like labor inspection results and hotline reports—could inform human rights due diligence efforts, the barriers to data sharing, and opportunities for public-private partnerships.

Looking Ahead: Developing a Cross-Industry Forced Labor Data Standard

Building on these insights, TAT is excited to launch the third phase of its Forced Labor Supply Chain Data Program. In this next phase, TAT will lead the development of a single cross-industry forced labor data standard for business. This standard will outline a menu of effective and streamlined data points for use at various stages of the due diligence process (e.g., desktop vs. on-site assessments), define key terms, and establish thresholds for triggering further human rights due diligence.

This effort will involve extensive stakeholder engagement and validation, including with policymakers, civil society organizations, and experts with lived experience. We invite interested stakeholders to be part of this important initiative. 

[Download Standardizing Data Collection on Forced Labor Report]

[Download Governments as Intermediaries of Forced Labor Data Report]