Publications on informal economy

  1. Global Deal for Decent Work & Inclusive Growth - Thematic Brief

    Social Dialogue for the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy

    20 November 2020

    Social dialogue has a vital role to play in supporting the transition from the informal to the formal economy. Drawing on case studies from around the world, this Global Deal thematic brief illustrates how social dialogue, involving governments and representative employers’ and workers’ organizations has, in different ways and at different levels, contributed to the transition to formality and the reduction of decent work deficits in the informal economy. It aims to assist all concerned stakeholders to apply social dialogue for the design and implementation of effective formalization strategies, in the context of the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 and the relevant international labour standards.

  2. ILO Working Paper 11

    Digital Labour Platforms and Labour Protection in China

    13 October 2020

    This paper explores the implications of the digital labour platforms for labour regulation in China and the potential applicability of existing laws and regulations to platform work.

  3. Publication

    Better cheese, better work: The Alliance Caucasus Programme's Impact on Informality and Working Conditions in Georgia's Dairy Sector

    28 May 2020

  4. Publication

    Better cheese, better work: The Alliance Caucasus Programme's Impact on Informality and Working Conditions in Georgia's Dairy Sector

    28 May 2020

  5. Transition to formality

    Transition to Formality and Structural Transformation: Challenges and Policy options

    17 March 2020

    The book examines “new forms of informality” in developed and developing countries, and how our policies can be improved to respond to new evolving realities.

  6. ILO Working paper 1

    "System needs update":Upgrading protection against cyberbullying and ICT-enabled violence and harassment in the world of work

    13 February 2020

    The term ‘cyberbullying’ has been used to describe aggressive conducts carried out through information and communication technologies (ICT), and can involve picture/video clips, emails, or social network sites, among others.

  7. A compendium of practice

    Interactions between Workers’ Organizations and Workers in the Informal Economy: A Compendium of Practice

    30 January 2020

    A compilation of concrete examples, drawn from around the world, showing how trade unions have sought to reach out to workers in the informal economy to reduce the decent work deficits they face and support their transition to formality.

  8. Issue Brief no. 5 - Labour Relations and Collective Bargaining

    Negotiating for decent working time - a review of practice

    10 December 2019

    This Issue Brief gives an overview of the regulation of working time through collective agreements in different regions of the world and outlines innovative solutions by the bargaining partners. It presents practices from various countries, which can advance a human-centered approach to the regulation of working time through collective bargaining.

  9. Report

    Working conditions in a global perspective

    06 May 2019

    This report provides a comparative analysis of job quality covering approximately 1.2 billion of the world’s workers in the EU28, China, the Republic of Korea, Turkey, the United States (US), Spanish-speaking Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama), Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.

  10. Publication

    Executive summary: Digital labour platforms and the future of work

    20 September 2018

    This report provides one of the first comparative studies of working conditions on five major micro-task platforms that operate globally.