The social and solidarity economy and the care economy

Why the care economy matters

The care economy comprises care work, both paid and unpaid, and direct and indirect care, its provision within and outside the household, as well as the people who provide and receive care and the employers and institutions that offer care. As populations age in many regions and chronic illness rates rise globally, the demand for quality care services is increasing. In many places, conventional models struggle to meet these needs, leaving gaps in care provision.

How the social and solidarity economy contributes

Social and solidarity economy entities, including cooperatives, play a crucial role in addressing care needs. Their people-centred and principle-based approach makes them particularly well-suited to providing inclusive, accessible, and high-quality care where other options may be limited. Social and solidarity economy entities support a wide range of care needs—physical, psychological, cognitive, and developmental—serving children, adolescents, adults, older persons, persons with disabilities, and caregivers. By emphasizing democratic and participatory governance and stakeholder involvement—including care recipients, workers, families, and community members—social and solidarity economy entities create holistic care solutions tailored to beneficiaries. This approach not only enhances care quality but also strengthens community ties and ensures sustainability, while promoting better working conditions, formalization, and professionalization among care workers.

What the ILO does

The ILO advances decent work in the care economy and supports quality, accessible care through social and solidarity economy entities. Its work includes research, knowledge sharing, capacity development and fostering stakeholder collaboration. By identifying and disseminating good practices, the ILO strengthens the role of social and solidarity economy entities in care provision worldwide while advancing gender equality and decent work.

As part of the “Cooperative Care Provision as a Gender-Transformative Decent Work Solution” – a cross-regional, multi-country programme led by ILO’s Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit (COOP/SSE) of the Enterprises Department and the ILO’s Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Branch (GEDI) of the WORKQUALITY Department – the ILO has advanced the delivery of care through cooperatives and other SSE entities have been initiated across regions, including in Bolivia, Cambodia, Colombia, Honduras, Nepal, the State of Palestine, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe.

To support this effort, the ILO has developed two practical capacity building tools: Think.CareCoop and Start.CareCoop. The tools are aimed primarily at care workers – both unpaid and paid who are interested in understanding how the cooperative model can be used to meet community care needs and/or establish a care cooperative. The tools, available in multiple languages, may also be used by existing cooperatives, trade unions, local governments and other organizations.