All news: informal employment + informal enterprises + informal economy

PROSPECTS Impact

Rising from informal work to a government employee: the story of Florence Wambui

Florence Wambui shares her journey from informal work to securing a Ministry job in Kenya, showcasing how Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) certification and fashion training empowered her career transformation.

Social protection

A strengthened social protection system will boost climate resilience in Viet Nam

Viet Nam has made considerable progress in building and expanding its social protection system, a critical asset as the nation faces mounting challenges from climate change. The recent launch of the "World Social Protection Report 2024-2026" in...

Care economy

Care Work and Care Jobs: Prerequisites for Decent Work and Social Justice

Op-Ed

Invest in care: a shared responsibility, a social imperative, and a driver of progress

On the international day of care and support, ILO Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Joni Simpson, in her opinion editorial for the Daily Financial Times, Sri Lanka, highlights potential for the country to create 800,000 plus local...

New ILO-backed AI tool to support Colombia's coffee producers

A new AI chatbot will provide personalized advice to help improve working conditions and competitiveness for Colombia's coffee producers.

ILO Resolution on Decent Work and the Care Economy moves ahead

Strategies and recommendations contained in the key Resolution on promoting decent work in the care economy were discussed at a high-level webinar convened to mark the UN’s International Day of Care and Support and ahead of consideration by the ILO...

National Conference Paves Pathways to Formalizing Iraq's Informal Economy

In collaboration with the Government of Iraq and with funding by the EU, the conference brought together national and international stakeholders to foster a unified approach to formalizing the country’s economy.

ILO launches $600,000 initiative to tackle informal work amid Armenia’s refugee crisis

The ILO has initiated a project to support ethnic Armenian refugees, many of whom face significant barriers to stable jobs. The ILO warns that without targeted interventions, previous gains in reducing informal employment may be reversed. The...

Discussion on advancing care provision through cooperatives undertaken in Zimbabwe

On October 1, 2024, ILO Harare hosted a validation workshop on provision of care through cooperatives and other social and solidarity economy entities.

Sub-regional Programming Meeting: Advancing ILO strategies for the 2024-25 biennium

The ILO Team for Eastern Europe and Central Asia charts the path forward

Informal economy

Limited incentives hinder household businesses in Viet Nam from registering

Many household businesses in Viet Nam are not interested in shifting to the formal sector,missing an opportunity for expansion, due to shortcomings in their legal status.

Employment

Pilot survey in Viet Nam: A promising start in defining digital platform employment

The pilot survey in Viet Nam provides new insights in defining the conceptual and measurement framework of digital platform employment, both in Viet Nam and other countries

Global efforts to end forced labour could increase global GDP by US$611 billion – ILO paper

International Labour Organization paper finds costs of investing in tackling forced labour are likely to be offset by rise in GDP from transfer of freed workers to the formal economy.

ILO Caribbean experts featured at Jamaica Ministry of Labour and Social Security “Labour Talks” roadshow

Discussions highlighted progress to end child labour and promote a Just Transition.

Informal economy

New ILO report highlights pervasive informality in the Viet Nam wood industry

A majority of workers in the wood industry, a major export sector for Viet Nam, are employed informally sometimes within formal enterprises due to inadequate compliance measures and other factors.

Voices from ILO PROSPECTS

Passion into professionalism: Dickson's journey to earning a cosmetology diploma

In this video, Dickson Njoroge shares his inspiring journey into the beauty industry and how his diploma has opened doors for him, including the potential to apply for government jobs as a trainer. 

ILO Voices | Social protection

A social protection benefit transformed our daily lives

Astou Gningue, a mother of 10 children living in Senegal, sells fruit and other products to support her family. A social protection benefit has helped her to support her family’s basic needs when she could not work and enabled her to grow her...

Informal economy

Coffee farmers in Viet Nam face a wide range of risks and vulnerabilities

Due to widespread informality, coffee farmers in Viet Nam face various risks and vulnerabilities, highlighting the need for enhanced cooperation across the sector’s value chain.

SEWA showcases gender equity through formalization in Gujarat

The union is promoting childcare centres and financial security for improving women's employment outcomes

Voices from ILO PROSPECTS

From refugee to entrepreneur: ILO’s mentorship transforms Fatima’s small business

Fatima Khalif Abdi, a Somalian refugee in Ethiopia and mother of five, transformed her maize business with support from Business Plan Competition, expanding her offerings and setting ambitious goals for the future.