Without workforce data, companies can’t manage supply chain risks. Discover how workforce transparency protects workers and drives responsible business.  

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Almost every product we buy relies on a complex supply chain of workers: the people who grow our food, weave the fabric of our clothes, manufacture batteries for our phones, and transport goods around the world.

Yet behind these everyday transactions lies a stark reality. Around 28 million people are trapped in forced labour globally, generating around $236 billion in illegal profits each year according to the International Labour Organization. These figures are not abstract statistics, but a reminder that millions of workers remain vulnerable to exploitation, unsafe conditions and a lack of protection.

For businesses, safeguarding the people in their operations and supply chains is fundamental to resilience, trust and long-term success, as well as, in many jurisdictions, legal compliance.

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Closing the data gap: where WDI comes in

Despite the scale of labour challenges worldwide, there has historically been limited data on how businesses impact the people in their operations and supply chains. Companies and investors want to do better, but how can they without the data? Our Workforce Disclosure Initiative (WDI) was created to close this very gap.

Each year, WDI invites companies to complete a workforce survey covering both direct operations and supply chains.

The questions span critical topics including:

• governance
• employment practices
• worker voice
• health and safety
• equality and inclusion
• identifying and mitigating forced labour and other risks

At the Thomson Reuters Foundation, supporting businesses to build robust, useable workforce data is one of our core operational strengths, one that is central to:

• driving supply chain and workforce transparency,
• safeguarding workers and their communities
• supporting long-term business resilience.

By offering a data collection framework for companies to voluntarily disclose to and measure against, WDI makes workforce practices visible and comparable.

Critically, companies can opt-out of making responses public. Our goal is to improve business practice through data, knowledge and insights and are committed to supporting voluntary, consistent improvement, rather than another regulatory tick-box exercise.

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Why this matters

As well as the intrinsic value of strengthening human rights in the workforce, changing trends are putting further pressure on businesses and investors.

• The rise in artificial intelligence is changing the future of work. Companies who cannot understand and adapt will fall behind.
• Responsible business is profitable. There is growing evidence that safe, fair and inclusive workplaces attract capital and build resilient operations.
• Companies can’t manage what they can’t measure. Without data, businesses leave themselves with significant blind spots that are impossible to mitigate against.

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Keeping pace: a refreshed survey for 2026

WDI is committed to offering investors insights and data which reflect the questions decision makers are asking today. The 2026 survey responds directly to investor and company feedback, ensuring the data remains relevant, comparable and useful.

This year, the data strengthens focus on areas that matters most to investors and regulators, including supply chain visibility, governance, and forward-looking workforce risks linked to economic transition. We recognise the need to move beyond transparency scoring to deliver deeper insights to investors and allow companies to demonstrate their intentions, strategy and actions with more credibility.

By evolving in step with these changes, WDI ensures its data supports stewardship, engagement and regulatory preparedness, not just reporting for its own sake.

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