All news: microenterprises + small enterprises + informal enterprises + value chains

Creating Change, One Story at a Time

Jisan’s path to independence: Learning, earning, and leading

With entrepreneurship training under the ILO ISEC Project, Jannatul Neha Jisan turned her home-based sales into a thriving boutique in Cox’s Bazar. Today, she earns a steady income, trains local girls in fabric design, and pursues higher education,...

Press release

ILO advances financial inclusion to strengthen Indonesia’s small enterprises and informal workers

ILO highlights its commitment to advancing financial inclusion to strengthen micro, small, and medium Enterprises (MSMEs), informal workers, and rural economies in Indonesia. Collaborative efforts with government and financial institutions are...

PROSPECTS Impact

With ILO, Ethiopia’s Jigjiga University transforms into an entrepreneurship hub

The partnership between the ILO and Jigjiga University is driving the institutionalization of the ILO’s globally recognized tools and the creation of a dynamic Business and Technology Incubation Center, fostering entrepreneurship for host and...

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises complete transformative capacity enhancement training to drive Zambia’s clean energy future

40 MSMEs from Eastern Province completed a three-day UN Joint SDG Fund training to boost renewable energy adoption in Zambia. The programme, led by ILO, UNDP, and UNICEF, equipped participants with skills to innovate, grow businesses, and promote...

In Their Hands: New exhibition showcases how productivity and decent work go hand in hand in Ghana

A new ILO exhibition, “In Their Hands”, organized by the Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work programme in Ghana, highlights how improving productivity can transform not only businesses, but also the lives of the workers who power them.

Productivity ecosystems for decent work

When AI meets decent work: A productivity breakthrough from the factory floor

Insights from HITI’s real-world pilot under the ILO’s Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work Programme

Productivity ecosystems for decent work

Productivity with purpose: Collaboration for a new era in Viet Nam

How ILO is supporting Viet Nam’s forward-looking employment promotion efforts.

Press release

Green tourism as the foundation for the future of Indonesia’s MSMEs

The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have partnered to enhance MSMEs’ capacity for adopting sustainable and environmentally responsible business practices.

ILO and IOE launch third edition of “Combating forced labour: A handbook for employers and business”

This third edition provides practical tools for companies to identify, prevent, mitigate and account for actual and potential forced labour impacts in operations and supply chains, as well as guidance for employers’ organizations to support their...

Development cooperation in Lebanon

Tackling pests, opening markets: Farmers and government experts address challenges with ILO support

Funded by Sweden, the ILO’s BOUZOUR project in Lebanon is enabling cherry farmers such as Richard Skaff and Sami Harika to adopt better pest-control methods, opening more pathways to global export markets.

How smallholder coffee farmers in Mzimba, Malawi are beating poverty and child labour

The Kachere Zone Business Group in Malawi used business training, start-up capital, and Village Savings and Loans (VSL) to diversify their income, invest in profitable crops, expand coffee production, and strengthen household resilience.

International Labour Review Blog

Do Global Value Chains and new technologies improve job quality in Europe?

Drawing on micro-level data from 22 European countries, this blog from the International Labour Review examines how global value chains and digitalisation affect wages and job quality, highlighting their uneven impact across countries, occupations,...

A systems approach that addresses the root causes of decent work deficits is needed for a just transition

A market systems development approach offers a critical pathway to tackle environmental challenges while advancing social justice and promoting decent job creation.

Lebanon’s cherry farmers embrace safer and more sustainable practices through ILO support

The ILO’s BOUZOUR project, funded by Sweden, is helping cherry farmers like Hasan Sharaf and the Ismail family strengthen value chains, improve occupational safety and health and open more inclusive access to global markets.

Social protection

Waste collectors, informal economy workers gain ground through social protection

Waste collectors and informal economy workers navigate daily risks and hardships, making social protection an essential lifeline during crises, emergencies and economic shocks in the Philippines.

Impact story

Poultry that connects: Inside a Farmer Service Centre in Kenya

In Kakuma, a Farmer Service Centre run by brooder Charles Lukudu — a refugee from South Sudan — is transforming poultry farming into a bridge between refugee and host communities. With support from ILO PROSPECTS and Sustainable Approaches for...

Enterprise development and artificial intelligence

From farm to jam: A dragon fruit entrepreneur’s sweet digital leap

A Filipino farmer’s journey from fresh produce to dragon fruit jam shows how ILO’s training in the Philippines is transforming micro, small and medium-sized enterprises through artificial intelligence and digital skills.

Ghana-Switzerland exchange: Lessons in innovation and sustainability for the textile and garment industry

Productivity ecosystems for decent work

Leading with purpose: Hanh champions women’s voice in Viet Nam’s manufacturing future

In Viet Nam, women account for nearly half of the workforce, yet they remain overrepresented in lower-paying jobs and continue to earn less than men on average, even when performing work of equal value.

World Statistics Day

Viet Nam’s labour statistics: From modernization to global alignment

As the world celebrates World Statistics Day on 20 October, Viet Nam’s journey in developing a modern and internationally aligned labour statistics system stands out as a story of innovation, resilience, and cooperation.