Building the capacity of constituents of pre-empting informalisation of work and promote transition to formality in the context of a refugee crisis

Overview

During the visit of the ILO Director-General to Armenia, high-level discussions with political leaders and tripartite constituents (the Government, workers’ and employers’ organisations) highlighted the urgent need for the ILO’s active engagement in addressing the refugee crisis through the promotion of decent work and social justice. In response, the ILO has allocated internal resources and launched a dedicated initiative to pre-empt the informalization of work and support the transition to formal employment for vulnerable groups.

Key objectives

In the context of the refugee crisis, the ILO initiative intends to pre-empt the informalisation of the labour market and safeguard decent working conditions. It also aims at creating more productive jobs and improving access of jobseekers to employment opportunities, extend social protection coverage, and promote formalisation of informal enterprises and workers. Implemented in close collaboration with the Government, workers’ and employers’ organizations, and UN partner agencies, the initiative focuses on:

• Strengthening formal employment opportunities by enhancing the capacity of enterprises, local governments, and public employment services.
• Expanding access to employment services for displaced workers and supporting their integration into the formal economy.
• Designing public works programs to provide immediate employment opportunities.
• Conducting a gender-responsive diagnosis of informality to develop an integrated formalization strategy and policy recommendations.
• Enhancing social dialogue and building the capacity of tripartite constituents to ensure sustained progress.

By addressing the challenges of informality and ensuring labour rights protection, this initiative lays the foundation for inclusive economic growth and long-term social stability.

Strategic approaches and focus areas

Given the complexity of informal employment, the ILO employs an integrated programming approach based on Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy Recommendation, 2015 (No. 204). This includes:

• Preventing informalisation and extending protection to informal workers
• Stimulating local economies for creation of productive employment
• Facilitating labour market integration of refugees
• Building the capacity of social partners and promoting social dialogue for formalisation of the economy
• Enhancing policy and regulatory frameworks

Project partners

• Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
• The Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia (CTUA)
• The Republican Union of Employers of Armenia (RUEA)

Target beneficiaries

ILO’s tripartite constituents, workers-refugees from the Karabakh region, informal workers especially informal women workers, informal enterprises, and local economic planners in the capital city Yerevan and Ararat provinces.