ILO and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean call for investment in care to generate millions of formal job

MEXICO CITY (ILO News) – At the XVI Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) presented a new regional study, Care Economy and Decent Work: Scenarios and Recommendations for Latin America and the Caribbean (in Spanish), along with national reports for Mexico, Chile and Brazil.

Care is a fundamental pillar of our societies and should not be a private responsibility or solely that of women.

Ana Virginia Moreira, ILO Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean

Ana Virginia Moreira, ILO Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, noted: “It is essential for social protection, gender equality, sustainable development and social cohesion. This report is a call to urgently transform how care is organized and distributed”.

© OIT

© OIT

The study highlights that investing in care policies and services aligned with international standards could generate millions of formal jobs, most of which would be held by women. The projected economic impact includes increased productivity, improved wellbeing and stronger public revenues. Estimates using the ILO’s Care Policy Investment Simulator, updated in collaboration with ECLAC and covering 23 countries in the region, suggest that around 31.3 million jobs could be created—10.6 million in universal childcare services and 20.7 million in long-term care. Notably, about 88 per cent of these jobs would be in the formal economy.

Recommendations include extending maternity, paternity and parental leave to cover informal, part-time and self-employed workers; developing universal, high-quality public care services for children and older persons; and financing care as a right through progressive, solidarity-based tax and social protection systems. The report is grounded in the ILO’s “5Rs” framework for decent care work: recognize, reduce, redistribute, reward and represent.

Ana Güezmes García, Director of ECLAC’s Division for Gender Affairs, emphasized that the findings provide tools to shape equality-based strategies and boost investment in care—a key theme of the regional conference.

Paz Arancibia, ILO Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Senior Specialist, added: “The simulator is a tool for social dialogue, interministerial coordination and tripartite negotiation, aimed at advancing inclusive, sustainable care policies.” Representatives from Brazil and Chile—including Laís Abramos from Brazil’s Ministry of Social Development and Antonia Orellana, Chile’s Minister of Women and Gender Equality—also highlighted the national reports and the value of ILO collaboration in promoting care-related social dialogue.

The event brought together government officials, employers’ and workers’ organizations, and international bodies, including Danilo Salerno (International Cooperative Alliance – Americas), Marisol Guerrero (Confederation of Industrial Chambers of Mexico), Kaira Reece (Trade Union Confederation of the Americas), Laís Abramos (Brazil), Antonia Orellana (Chile), and Iris Valdez (Jóvenes Construyendo el Futuro).