Publication

Understanding patterns of structural discrimination of migrant and other workers in some countries of South and West Asia

19 April 2022

This background paper reviews the literature that sheds light on the structural patterns of discrimination against migrant workers in some countries of South and West Asia. It also articulates recommendations that would help officials in UN agencies, international organizations, constituents and other civil society individuals and groups, while referring to the existing evidence of structural discrimination to support the application of international labour standards.

Publication

Short-term Policy Responses to COVID-19 in the World of Work

30 March 2020

The note prepared by ILO Decent Work Team for South Asia and India offers the possible actions that could be considered during COVID-19 crisis by the state governments. It has special focus on informal sector workers.

EMPLOYMENT Working Paper No. 254

Informal Employment Trends in the Indian Economy: Persistent informality, but growing positive development

17 January 2020

ILO/Sida Partnership on Employment Working Paper No. 1

Structural change and employment in India

12 December 2019

Cooperatives and the World of Work Series No. 12

Waste pickers’ cooperatives and social and solidarity economy organizations

20 August 2019

Waste pickers make significant contributions to public health, sanitation, and the environment by promoting resource circulation and reducing the amount of landfill. However, they are often not legally recognized as workers and suffer from poor working conditions and lack of social protection. This brief highlights the role of waste pickers' cooperatives and other social and solidarity economy organizations (SSEOs) in integrating and formalizing the work of waste pickers in the recycling value chain and improving their working conditions.

Publication

Work Improvement for Safe Home: Action manual for improving safety and health of E-waste workers

29 May 2019

An illustrated manual that aims to assist e-waste workers in improving their safety, health and productivity and shows many low-cost ideas that e-waste workers can easily adopt by using locally-available materials.

Employment Seminar Series

Informal and Formal Employment in a Liberalizing Economy

21 February 2019

Publication

India Wage Report: Wage policies for decent work and inclusive growth

20 August 2018

This report provides an overview of recent trends in wages, including wage gaps between different categories of workers, gender wage gaps, wages by sector and occupation, and trends in wage inequality. It analyses the existing market labour institutions and framework; particularly focussing on minimum wages and collective bargaining, and also suggests some policy-oriented recommendations.

Publication

Advancing cooperation among women workers in the informal economy: The SEWA way

05 July 2018

This report aims to provide an understanding of the challenges and opportunities for cooperatives and other SSE units in empowering women workers in the informal economy, with a specific focus on SEWA’s experience. It is based on individual interviews and focus group discussions with select cooperative leaders and members and also uses select studies presenting the forty-year experience of SEWA with cooperatives.

Publication

Cooperatives meeting informal economy workers' child care needs - A Joint ILO and WIEGO Initiative

25 April 2018

Cooperatives set up and run by workers in the informal economy are among the solutions in meeting women workers’ care needs, while also helping protect their labour rights. This report complements the ILO's previous studies with cases from Brazil, India, and Guatemala on how informal economy workers’ organizations can mobilize through cooperatives to provide child care services to their members. The case studies highlight diverse forms of child care provision and outline the varied partnerships needed to implement and sustain child care services for informal economy workers.