All ILO Newsroom content

January 2009

  1. International Labour Review, Vol. 147 (2008), No. 4

    Informal employment: Two contested policy issues

    16 January 2009

    This article addresses two contested issues of crucial importance to policy, namely: formal labour regulations as a cause of informal employment, and so-called “voluntary” informal employment. The authors provide theoretical overviews on both issues and an extensive survey of empirical studies on the effects of formal labour regulations on informal employment. The article closes with observations on the relevance of the ILO’s four decent work objectives for informal employment and economic development, with particular emphasis on the significance of – and potential for – organizing workers in the informal economy.

  2. News

    International Labour Office statement on humanitarian situation in Gaza

    07 January 2009

    The International Labour Office is deeply concerned by the rising humanitarian impact of the escalating conflict situation in Gaza. In line with its mandate in the world of work, the ILO focuses on the plight of workers and their families, who have lived through the hardships of long months of closures and are now exposed to the devastation of a war situation. Even before the turmoil of recent days, Gaza had the highest unemployment rate in the world.

  3. Article

    Reaching out to migrant construction workers in India

    01 January 2009

  4. Article

    Public-Private Partnerships in HIV Care and Support in India

    01 January 2009

  5. Article

    Public-Private Partnerships in HIV Prevention in India

    01 January 2009

December 2008

  1. Video

    Fighting Human Trafficking in Moldova

    18 December 2008

    Living in a poor rural area of Moldova, 17-year old Maria grabbed the chance for a better life when a family friend promised her lucrative work abroad. Instead she found herself doing forced labour on a farm in Russia, with no passport or money to get back home. Breaking this cycle of human trafficking will involve improving decent work prospects for Moldavians at home, as ILO TV reports.

  2. Technical Cooperation

    Technical Cooperation: Working Together to Make Decent Work a Reality

    18 December 2008

    ILO TV reports from Moldova, Liberia, Brazil and Cambodia where the International Labour Organization is working with government, employers and workers to help make decent work a reality.

  3. Statement

    Message by the Director-General of the ILO on the occasion of International Migrants Day

    18 December 2008

    Of the 200 million international migrants, 50 per cent are women and men migrant workers who have left their homes and communities to find work and better opportunities elsewhere in the world to support their families and communities.

  4. Occupational Safety and Health

    Fair WIND for Safety in Kyrgyzstan

    17 December 2008

    An ILO occupational safety and health training program for farmers and other agricultural workers in Kyrgyzstan has become a starting point for a broader political process of social dialogue between workers, employers and government.

  5. International Migrants Day

    Migrant Workers Today, An Interview With Ibrahim Awad

    17 December 2008

    ILO TV interviews Ibrahim Awad, Director of the ILO's International Migration Programme, on the significance of International Migrants Day and the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.