Publications on informal economy

  1. Publication

    Statistical Methodology Series 9 - Engendering informality project

    20 December 2023

    The report provides an overview of the labour force survey pilot studies carried out by the ILO Department of Statistics in Uganda and Peru under the Engendering Informality Statistics project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The main activity of the project was to test statistical concepts and measurement approaches in household survey questionnaires to generate evidence on what works when collecting data with a gender lens.

  2. Publication

    Meta-analysis of the effects of interventions on child labour

    19 December 2023

    The meta-analysis included a comprehensive set of interventions to provide a quantitative assessment of their impact on child labour.

  3. Publication

    Understanding informality and child labour in sub-Saharan Africa

    18 December 2023

    This study examines the interrelationship of child labour and informality in 22 sub-Saharan countries.

  4. ILO Working paper 100

    The platform economy and transformations in the world of work: The case of delivery platform workers in Santiago, Chile

    05 December 2023

    This paper examines the experiences of delivery workers on digital labor platforms in Chile and analyses the implications of the platform business model. It highlights challenges in working conditions and algorithmic management practices, which are crucial to address for ensuring decent work, as Chile moves towards implementing a new law to regulate platform work.

  5. Publication

    An appraisal of EIIP’s longer-term development impacts

    19 October 2023

    The purpose of this study is to improve understanding of how the project implementation related activities of the Employment Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP) generate long-term development impacts which arise out of: (a) the benefits for users and the wider society of the improved assets, and (b) the employment and increased incomes of those employed on projects.

  6. Report

    Promoting decent work in the African cultural and creative economy

    24 July 2023

    The report identifies the challenges and opportunities for promoting decent work in the African cultural and creative economy (CCE).

  7. Short Report

    The road to decent work for domestic workers

    05 June 2023

  8. ILO Brief

    Statistical Brief - Apprentices in countries with large informal economies

    31 May 2023

    This statistical brief compares country-level data on apprenticeships with an interest in countries with large informal economies. It investigates the possibilities and limitations of current labour force statistics to provide a snapshot on apprenticeships, with data compiled by the ILO from 27 countries (26 African and 1 South Asian countries). It also provides key findings and recommendations based on the comparative analysis.

  9. ILO Working paper 89

    What has been driving work-to-work transitions in the emerging world? – A comparative study of Indonesia and South Africa

    23 March 2023

    This paper examines the shape, prominence and drivers of work-to-work transitions in South Africa and Indonesia – two middle-income countries with similar development levels yet different labour market characteristics.

  10. Report

    Women and men in the informal economy: A statistical update

    07 March 2023

    This report provides a snapshot of the situation in 2019 and trends in selected countries since 2020. It does not intend to provide an in-depth analysis of trends and factors of informality. Instead, the primary objective of this publication is to provide a concise update, both globally and by region, of data on the extent of informal employment, the categories of workers most exposed to informality and the characteristics of those currently in informal employment and their working conditions compared to their counterparts in formal employment.