All news: informal employment + informal enterprises + informal economy

Launch of skill development initiative for domestic workers/household assistants

The Delhi Government, the Ministry of Labour and Employment and ILO have joined hands to kick-start a pilot training programme to skill and re-skill domestic workers/household assistants across the Delhi and Noida region. The Pilot programme aims...

Survey on social security for informal economy workers: looking for flexible and highly targeted programmes

In Indonesia only 17 per cent of the employed population enjoys formal social security of which a fraction works in the informal economy. With respect to health, the coverage has recently been substantially expanded through the Jamkesmas/Askeskin...

Power for the powerless: the woman behind India’s ‘Gentle Revolution'

Nearly four decades ago Dr Bhatt, now 76, founded what has become India’s largest and most unusual trade union. The members are waste-pickers, street vendors, incense stick rollers, construction and agricultural workers, and home-based workers. They...

H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia. Speech to the 'High-Level Forum on "Working out of Poverty: Decent Work Approach to...

ILO Asia-Pacific meeting on extending social security opens

The aims of the conference include helping delegates to share experiences regarding ways of extending social security coverage and dealing with emerging challenges, identifying good practices and fostering consensus on ways to proceed.

Media Advisory: 21 Asia-Pacific countries to discuss extending social security coverage Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi 19-20 May 2008

The meeting will bring together government, workers and employers’ delegates from 21 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The aim of the conference is to identify a set of policy approaches that countries can use to pursue the effective and...

In Asia, informal work shifts but remains massive

Despite a GDP growth rate twice the world average, more than 1 billion Asians still work in the informal economy. Most lack basic social protection and hold unproductive jobs with low earnings. An ILO report prepared for the Asian Employment Forum...

The spicy taste of entrepreneurship: street food sellers and economic development

In Bangkok, food sold by street vendors provides more than just a cheap and healthy meal. For tens of thousands of people it is a vital source of income and a recipe for reducing poverty. According to a study recently published by the International...