All news: informal employment + informal enterprises + informal economy

Financial literacy

Empowering rural entrepreneurs in Indonesia's East Sumba with financial literacy

The ILO and Bank NTT urge East Sumba’s entrepreneurs in Indonesia, including youth, to adopt smarter banking habits for long-term financial success.

Voices from ILO PROSPECTS

Business skills open doors: Amin’s journey from graduate to entrepreneur

With targeted training and mentorship from the ILO, a young entrepreneur in Ethiopia turned a backyard production into a fast-growing business—now supplying thousands of litres of shampoo across the Somali Region.

Green jobs

Turning adversity into opportunity thanks to biochar

In northern Côte d'Ivoire, Diallo Koundja and his family, asylum seekers from Burkina Faso, are regaining hope and dignity thanks to an ILO project on biochar.

Zambia launches HIV and AIDS Guidelines for the Informal Economy and Private Sector Engagement Strategy

The Government of Zambia, in collaboration with employers and workers' organizations, has officially launched the HIV and AIDS Guidelines for the Informal Economy and the Private Sector Engagement Strategy (2025–2027).

Informal Economy

Unions in Nepal co-create tailored training tools to support informal workers

A design sprint brought together 14 worker representatives to co-develop practical, union-led training tools for the outreach and sensitization of informal domestic and waste management workers in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Informal employment

Tackling informal employment in the Caribbean through policy action

Global Accelerator

Tripartite constituents address informality in Uzbekistan’s construction sector

Government, employers and workers met to tackle informality in Uzbekistan’s construction sector and promote formal employment, occupational safety and health and social protection.

Formalization

Cambodia launches monitoring and evaluation framework to accelerate formalization

New digital framework empowers Cambodia to track and tailor support for informal workers, with a strong focus on gender inclusion, real-time data and coordination.

How contribution subsidies like Jordan’s Estidama++ are redrawing the social protection map

Subsidies for social security enhance affordability for vulnerable workers and drive the expansion of inclusive coverage

Monitoring and evaluation committee validates legal draft to formalize informal sector in Senegal

Oil palm employers complete assistance programme on labour standards compliance with support from the ILO and Cargill

The International Labour Organization (ILO), in partnership with Cargill, has certified 18 companies that successfully completed the Palma al día: virtual assistance for employers programme.

Creating Change, One Story at a Time

They call me a Rohingya refugee, but I’m also an entrepreneur

In the heart of a refugee camp, Saida’s kitchen is becoming a symbol of resilience. She’s one of 250 Rohingya women turning tradition into entrepreneurship through food processing training under the ISEC project. Each jar tells a story of survival,...

Creating Change, One Story at a Time

Polio slowed my walk, not my will: Breaking limits, one phone at a time

Polio didn’t stop Arafath. Trained under the ISEC project, he turned his passion for electronics into a career, transforming his disability into a strength and a job into a mission to support his family and inspire others.

Global webinar spotlights innovative approaches to addressing informality through the social and solidarity economy

The ILO–WIEGO joint webinar highlighted the role of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) in addressing informality, drawing on ILO standards and resolutions. It featured country cases from Argentina, Colombia, India and Nigeria, and explored how...

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) Day 2025

Policymakers and business associations call for clear SME definitions, formalization and inclusive finance in Bangladesh

On 30 June 2025, government officials, entrepreneurs, economists, and development partners met to discuss a new SME policy for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). They highlighted the urgent need to clarify definition of SMEs and to establish a...

Creating Change, One Story at a Time

The school that built hope on an island

A remote school surrounded by the sea in Cox’s Bazar is now offering certified training in trades like masonry, plumbing and electrical work. This helps keep opportunities close to home, empowering young people to build careers and strengthen their...

Creating Change, One Story at a Time

From scorched fields to fair wages: National consultation sparks hope for Cox’s Bazar workers

Bangladesh’s salt farmers face scorching conditions and low pay. The ILO-ISEC project is aiming to improve the lives of salt workers by providing fair wages, safer working conditions and stronger rights.

Our impact, Their story

Weaving dreams and dignity: My path from heritage to entrepreneurship

Suranjana Singha, a social science graduate from the Manipuri ethnic community in Moulvibazar, Bangladesh, turned a lifelong cultural tradition into a thriving social enterprise. After losing her job during the COVID-19 pandemic, she founded her own...

Advancing occupational safety and health in the informal economy

Training workshop empowers local actors to improve safety and health of waste pickers

Uganda’s Labour Market Assessment and Skills Mapping to Boost Reintegration of Returnees in the country

Validating the findings of the Labour Market Assessment and Skills Mapping for the Reintegration of Returned Migrant Workers, commissioned in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area