All publications: care economy

Factsheet

Innovative care policies in Bolivia, Brazil and Mexico: Results of the RBSA intervention 2024–2026

Explore the key results of the ILO intervention to advance care policies that promote decent work, gender equality and social justice in Bolivia, Brazil and Mexico.

Jordan annual report 2025

Narrative recap of the development cooperation implementation of the ILO programme in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

This report highlights the International Labour Organization's efforts and achievements in advancing decent work and social justice in Jordan during 2025. It showcases progress in strengthening labour market institutions, expanding social...

ILO-UNV Joint publication

Informal volunteering: Trends and characteristics

The report focuses on informal volunteering, the most widespread but least well understood form of volunteer work. It aims to address major evidence gaps by analysing who engages in informal volunteering, how, and under what conditions across...

Balancing work and family in China’s ‘new’ economic and demographic context: Policy choices and their implications for women and gender...

This report analyzes policy directions in the context of demographic changes in China from a gender perspective. It points out that although the government has introduced measures to encourage childbirth and alleviate parenting burdens, it has yet...

ILO-PAHO Policy brief

Long-term care providers: The roles, rights, and needs of paid and unpaid caregivers

Long-term care in the Americas relies heavily on paid and unpaid caregivers—mostly women—who remain undervalued and insufficiently supported. This joint ILO–PAHO brief highlights the urgent need to recognize, train, and protect the care workforce.

Getting Skills Right

Flexible Learning Pathways into Healthcare Occupations

Research report

A gap analysis of the compliance of national legislation, policies and practice with ILO Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No.183)

Assessing Sri Lanka’s maternity protection framework against ILO Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183)

Policy brief

Aligning Sri Lanka’s maternity protection framework with the ILO Convention No. 183

Policy brief on strengthening maternity protection in Sri Lanka through legal reforms.

Working paper 158

Revisiting occupational segregation and the valuation of women’s work

This working paper revisits long-term trends in occupational segregation and pay to explore how women’s work is valued in the labour market, with a particular focus on care workers and the remuneration of their skills.

Policy Brief - Assessment of Domestic Workers Providing Care and Support to Persons with Disabilities in Kenya.png

Domestic work is one of Kenya’s largest informal sectors, employing about two million people, primarily women, and providing essential care for persons with disabilities. Despite their crucial role, domestic workers often face low pay,...

New ILO-GCC joint report

Wage Protection Systems in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: A regional analysis

This report, developed by the ILO in close collaboration with the GCC Executive Bureau, addresses a critical knowledge gap concerning the design and operation of Wage Protection Systems (WPS) in GCC countries. Drawing on public documentation and...

Care at home: Projecting Thailand’s need for national and migrant labour for home-based care for older persons

Thailand is ageing. By 2037, one third of the population will be over 60 years of age. This study projects that the need for paid home-based care workers will increase by at least 70 per cent, with up to 250,000 additional paid care workers required...

Survey findings of unpaid care work in Italy. Key messages

This study presents the results of a survey conducted in 2024 by the ILO Office for Italy and San Marino in collaboration with Federcasalinghe, involving approximately 3,000 caregivers. The analysis explores living and working conditions, the...

Care economy

Guidelines for care policies from a gender, territorial and intersectional perspective

Latin America and the Caribbean are experiencing a care crisis that disproportionately affects women, especially those facing multiple forms of intersectional exclusion. This crisis is reflected in a growing demand for care, linked to interrelated...

Care economy

The right to care in Latin America and the Caribbean: Progress on the regulatory front

ECLAC, UN Women and the ILO present a document on regulatory advances regarding the right to care in Latin America and the Caribbean, prepared for the 16th Regional Conference on Women and as an input for its preparatory activities.

Care at work in Oman

Investing in care leave and services for a more gender equal world of work

This country brief provides a review of the status and progress of legislation on care policies in Oman, highlights regulatory gaps that may limit access of working women, their partners and family to care benefits, presents the investment case for...

WSSD2 Brief

Advancing decent work and the care economy: An essential component of social development

This brief underscores the critical role of the care economy in advancing decent work, gender equality, and social development. It calls for bold investments, policy coherence, and transformative action to address care gaps and ensure fair,...

Jordan annual report 2024

Narrative recap of the development cooperation implementation of the ILO programme in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

This report details the organization's efforts and achievements in advancing social justice and decent work in Jordan during 2024. It highlights contributions to Jordan's Economic Modernization Vision (EMV) 2033 and the United Nations Sustainable...

Empowering women entrepreneurs through and within the care economy

An overview of the ILO Women’s Entrepreneurship Development Programme’s priority area on care in line with its 2025–2030 strategic plan.

ILO Care Economy Brief

Employment-intensive investments for advancing decent work in the care economy

This policy brief by the International Labour Organization (ILO) examines how employment-intensive investments can help tackle the global care crisis and expand decent work opportunities, with a focus on promoting gender equality through...