Workers in the informal economy are estimated to make up 80 per cent of the Philippine workforce. They work under flexible arrangements (outsourcing and subcontracting), often at the margin of enterprises or at the lowest end of production chains. And they do odd jobs to make a living, working as vendors and street peddlers, small transport drivers of tricycles, pedicabs and jeepneys as well as on construction sites, on small-scale farms and at home.

From 2003 to 2005, the International Labour Organization (ILO) implemented a Government of Norway-funded project to extend social protection to informal sector workers. The Strategies and Tools Against Social Exclusion and Poverty (STEP) Project, built means for informal economy workers and their families to improve their lives through better access to health care.

For further information please contact:

ILO Country Office for the Philippines (CO-Manila)
19^th Floor, Yuchengco Tower
RCBC Plaza, 6819 Ayala Avenue
1200 Makati City, Philippines
Tel. +632 8580 9900
Fax +632 8856 7597
Email