All news: informal employment + informal enterprises + informal economy

Continued South South Cooperation Fiji - Kiribati

The ILO through its Youth Employment Programme in Kiribati brokered an initiative with both countries that would support Kiribati in establishing a National Employment Service Centre (NESC). With Fiji already having an operation National Employment...

Labour rights

Domestic workers in Europe falling through the loopholes

Many domestic workers in Europe do not enjoy as much legal protection as other workers. ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers – which will come into force in a year’s time – offers a chance to improve the lives of the millions of...

Employment update

Asia-Pacific: Quality and quantity of jobs dropping

Slowing growth in many Asian countries has accentuated labour market challenges in a region that has the world’s largest youth population, and where precarious work is widespread.

Measuring Informality: a new Statistical Manual on the informal sector and informal employment

The ILO has released an edited version of a Manual to help constituents around the world, especially in statistical offices and ministries of labour, to define, quantify and characterize the contribution of the informal sector and informal...

Feature

Social Protection for Thailand’s Informal Economy Workers

People working in the informal economy are vulnerable and often lack social protection. When natural disasters such as the 2011 flood in Thailand strike, they are frequently left without adequate support. But now the International Labour...

Feature

Giving an ancient craft a new shine: Training youth in the brassware sector in India

Low levels of education, lack of skills, diplomas or certificates within a technical field severely limit the chances of gainful employment for a vast number of youth in India. A new programme of skills developing and training, however, is providing...

Social Protection for Thailand’s Informal Economy Workers

People working in the informal economy are often vulnerable and frequently lack social protection. But now the ILO and other United Nations agencies are working with the Thai Government to change this and create a suitable, social protection system.

Promoting basic social protection in Indonesia

In Indonesia, informal economy workers and employees without contracts are largely uncovered by social security benefits. It is estimated that 54 per cent of the total population does not have access to social health protection (most of the excluded...

Ray of hope – Ramayees’s story

Fishing had been the mainstay of Ramayee and her husband Kandeeban of the tiny coastal hamlet of Oyalikuppam before that fateful day in December 2004 when giant waves of Tsunami washed away their home and virtually everything they owned including...

Opening address at the Training on Basic Employment Services

By Mr Lawrence Jeff Johnson, Director, ILO Country Office for the Philippines, Manila, Philippines

Indonesia to examine its progress on the social protection floor

In Indonesia, informal economy workers and employees without contracts are largely uncovered by social security benefits. It is estimated that 54 per cent of the total population does not have access to social health protection (most of the excluded...

Organizing informal workers: trade union subregional meeting in Tbilisi

A subregional meeting of leaders of unions of workers engaged into informal labour relations was organized by the Pan-European Regional Council of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-PERC), the ILO-ACTRAV and the StreetNet in Tbilisi...

Turning old: A domestic workers' nightmare

By Sindhu Menon. Tithli Ben migrated to Delhi in 1969 at the age of 19 after marriage to Dumru Bhai, a mechanic working in a small workshop in Mehrauli in South Delhi. They settled in a small jhuggie (makeshift shelter) near the workshop. Dumru...

“Employment of migrant workers in the informal economy in Kazakhstan”

The study Employment of migrant workers in the informal economy in Kazakhstan: a study of Southern Kazakhstan has been recently published within the framework of the ILO-EU project “Towards Sustainable Partnerships for the Effective Governance of...

Job Losses in Asia and Pacific slow - ILO predicts regional average around 5% for 2010

The number of jobless worldwide reached nearly 212 million in 2009 following an unprecedented increase of 34 million compared to 2007, on the eve of the global crisis, the International Labour Office (ILO) said in its annual Global Employment Trends...

ILO launches 'stay safe' guidebook for domestic workers in Thailand at the FCCT, 10.30 am., Thursday 28 January 2010

All Bangkok-based media – foreign and Thai nationals – are cordially invited to attend this bilingual event, with simultaneous English-Thai translation, at The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand.

Domestic work is adult work

An opinion editorial by Bill Salter, Director, ILO Subregional Office for East Asia on child domestic workers in Cambodia.

Decent work and globalization

Informal employment curbs trade benefits for developing countries

A joint study from the International Labour Organization and the WTO has found that high incidence of informal employment in the developing world suppresses countries' ability to benefit from trade opening by creating poverty traps for workers in...

Domestic workers' labour standards to be discussed by Lao PDR Government, unions and employers

Governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations in Lao PDR will take part in a formal consultation on the creation of a ground-breaking, international labour standard that would cover millions of domestic workers worldwide. The National...

Domestic workers’ labour standards to be discussed by Royal Thai Government, unions and employers

Governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations in Thailand will take part in a formal consultation on the creation of a ground-breaking, international labour standard that would cover millions of domestic workers worldwide. The National...