Publications on informal economy

  1. Full report

    Preparing for the future of work: National policy responses in ASEAN +6

    11 September 2019

    Spurred by technological advancements, demographic shifts and environmental and climate disruptions, fastpaced transformations are affecting how, where and when people work, impacting our labour markets and shaping the future of work. Preparing for the future of work: National policy responses in ASEAN +6 provides an overview of how countries in the Asia-Pacific region are reacting to such changes with new or adapted strategies and policies.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Publication

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

    28 March 2018

    This is a summary of the report “Advancing cooperation among women workers in the informal economy: The SEWA way” which aims to provide an understanding of the challenges and opportunities for cooperatives and other SSE enterprises in empowering women workers in the informal economy with a specific focus on the experience of Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA).

  5. Publication

    Cooperation among workers in the informal economy: A focus on home-based workers and waste pickers - A Joint ILO and WIEGO Initiative

    03 August 2017

    This report on “Cooperation among workers in the informal economy: A focus on home-based workers and waste pickers” is part of a joint ILO and WIEGO initiative, which aims to understand the nature and scope of cooperatives and other social and solidarity economy enterprises and organizations formed by workers in the informal economy. It focuses on the current challenges, opportunities, obstacles and practices among cooperatives of waste pickers and home-based workers in order to inform future actions and interventions that support cooperative growth.

  6. Publication

    Decent Work on Plantations - Brochure

    06 January 2017

  7. Publication

    Tackling informality in e-waste management: The potential of cooperative enterprises

    21 October 2014

    The present paper is the product of a joint effort by the Sectoral Policies Department and the Cooperatives Unit of the International Labour Organization (ILO). This initiative supports the ILO’s commitment to promote forms of employment that safeguard the environment, eradicate poverty and promote social justice through sustainable enterprises and decent work, as reinforced by the international Labour Conference (ILC), at its 102nd session in June 2013.

  8. Publication

    The global impact of e-waste: Addressing the challenge

    20 December 2012

    This paper explores the volumes, sources and flows of e-waste, the risks it poses to e-waste workers and the environment, occupational safety and health issues, labour issues and regulatory frameworks, and links this growing global problem with the International Labour Organization’s current and future work.

  9. Publication

    Assessing Green Jobs Potential in Developing Countries: A Practitioner’s Guide

    21 November 2011

    The knowledge of how the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy will affect employment, especially underlying job movements, is vital to informing policy, yet there are few comparable studies for developing countries. As part of the ILO’s Global Green Jobs Programme, this guide provides practical solutions to help fill these information gaps.

  10. Publication

    Mainstreaming environmental issues in sustainable enterprises: An exploration of issues, experiences and options

    21 January 2011

    Employment Working Paper No. 75