ILO Care Economy Brief
Employment-intensive investments for advancing decent work in the care economy
This policy brief by the International Labour Organization (ILO) examines how employment-intensive investments can help tackle the global care crisis and expand decent work opportunities, with a focus on promoting gender equality through strengthened care systems.
Marking the second instalment of the ILO Care Economy Brief series, the new publication outlines how employment-intensive investments can address the global care crisis while creating millions of decent jobs. It presents strategies for supporting workers with care responsibilities, developing care infrastructure, and professionalizing unpaid care roles to ensure fair wages and social protection.
The brief also highlights modelling showing the care economy’s potential to generate up to 299 million jobs by 2035, most of them for women, and calls on governments and partners to integrate care services into public investments using the ILO’s 5R Framework to promote gender equality and decent work.