Publications on informal economy

  1. PRODUCTIVITY

    TRENDS IN PRODUCTIVITY AND STRUCTURAL CHANGES. A comparative analysis of four emerging-market economies.

    17 November 2021

    This study undertaken by the Bureau for Employers' Activities of the ILO (ACT/EMP) is part of a research project to analyse the barriers to productivity growth, diversification and structural change in four selected emerging market economies Vietnam, Colombia, Turkey, and South Africa. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the design of coherent and comprehensive strategies, with a human-centred approach, to foster productivity and structural change, will be of utmost importance to accelerate the economic and employment recovery in the post-pandemic environment to build forward better.

  2. Publication

    100 Years of Public Works in the ILO

    21 October 2021

    This book chronicles the breadth and depth of ILO’s engagement in Public Works Programmes (PWPs) over the last century. It describes the journey, the ideas and the innovations that have emerged in a shifting global economic, social and political context. PWPs continue to be widely used and supported by the ILO an it is hoped that lessons that have been handed down will be useful in informing future policy-making and programme design.

  3. Informal economy

    Angola: Study on the migration from the informal for formal economy

    20 October 2021

    This report produced by the Bureaux for Employers’ Activities (ACT/EMP) of the ILO with the Angolan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIA) is seeking to contribute to design a strategy to enable the gradual transition from the informal to the formal economy in Angola

  4. ILO Working paper 38

    Freelance platform work in the Russian Federation: 2009–2019

    26 July 2021

    This paper traces the development of freelance platform work in the Russian Federation based on unique data from four online surveys conducted over the period 2009 and 2019 via the leading platform for creative and knowledge-based work and analyses the working conditions and well-being of the workers.

  5. ILO Working paper 32

    Digital Work in Eastern Europe: Overview of Trends, Outcomes, and Policy Responses

    25 May 2021

    This paper presents the emergence and growth of digital labour markets in Eastern Europe over the period 1999-2019. It presents the profiles of digital workers, their working conditions and discusses how these are shaped by the business models of digital labour platforms.

  6. Publication

    Youth employment in conflict and fragile settings (Elisa Selva and Federico Negro)

    07 May 2021

    Is the future ready for youth? Youth employment policies for evolving labour markets

  7. Book

    Is the future ready for youth?

    18 March 2021

    How do we ensure that the policymakers and the global community prioritize youth employment, so essential for sustainable development and social justice? This book brings together contributions from ILO with broad global experience in successful youth employment policies. They discuss the policies needed to address the challenge, in a time of rapid transformation, of achieving a better future for the youth.

  8. World Employment and Social Outlook 2021

    The role of digital labour platforms in transforming the world of work

    23 February 2021

    This ILO flagship report explores how the contemporary platform economy is transforming the way work is organized, and analyses the impact of digital labour platforms on enterprises, workers and society as a whole.

  9. World Employment and Social Outlook 2021

    The role of digital labour platforms in transforming the world of work [Summary]

    23 February 2021

    This report examines how digital labour platforms are transforming the world of work and how that affects employers and workers. It focuses on two main types of digital labour platform: online web-based platforms, where tasks are performed online and remotely by workers, and location-based platforms, where tasks are performed at a specified physical location by individuals, such as taxi drivers and delivery workers.

  10. ILO Working Paper 19

    Trends and new developments in employment services to support transitions in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa Regions

    16 December 2020

    This paper presents the findings of a survey undertaken in selected countries in the Sub Saharan Africa and Middle East and North Africa regions (SSA and MENA) aimed at reviewing the status of employment service provision, challenges and opportunities for their development.