News on informal economy

  1. © Arnaud Mugisha 2023

    School-to-work transition

    Does investing in education pay off for African youth?

    12 March 2014

    In sub-Saharan Africa, a stable, well-paid job is often an impossible dream, even for educated young people, according to an ILO report.

  2. Africa

    Unions in Africa pushing the ILO’s Decent Work and social justice agenda

    24 February 2014

    African trade unions need to mobilize to promote the ILO’s Decent Work and social justice agenda, participants said at a regional trade union conference in Nairobi.

  3. © Johan Ordonez / AFP 2023

    Youth employment in Latin America

    Unemployment and informality beset Latin American youth

    13 February 2014

    Latin America’s 108 million young people face chronic problems when seeking a job at the start of their working lives. A new ILO study calls calls for the implementation of innovative and effective policies to counter this situation which causes discouragement and frustration.

  4. © Roberto Schmidt / AFP 2023

    Global Employment Trends 2014

    Working poverty reduction stalled

    21 January 2014

    Working poverty dropped drastically over a decade, but progress stalled in 2013. Achieving further improvements requires moving workers out of informal, vulnerable work and ensuring they enjoy decent working conditions, according to the ILO’s Global Employment Trends 2014.

  5. © Kemal Jufri / AFP 2023

    Labour market

    Emerging economies: has growth translated into more and better jobs?

    21 October 2013

    A new ILO book analyses labour market trends and regulations in various emerging markets and presents a number of policies that can lead to a synergy between economic growth and decent job creation.

  6. Official visit

    ILO head in Latin America: More, but also better jobs are needed

    30 January 2013

    Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General, highlighted the need to turn informal employment into decent jobs in the formal sector. He spoke during a Latin America visit that took him to Buenos Aires and Lima.

  7. Safety at work

    Turning computer junk into jobs

    18 January 2013

    Vast amounts of electrical and electronic waste end up in developing countries where the recycling methods are often hazardous. Integrating informal e-waste operations into the formal sector can help make the process safer, according to an ILO study titled "The global impact of e-waste".

  8. Labour rights

    Domestic workers in Europe falling through the loopholes

    24 October 2012

    Many domestic workers in Europe do not enjoy as much legal protection as other workers. ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers – which will come into force in a year’s time – offers a chance to improve the lives of the millions of people who work in this profession.

  9. Employment update

    Asia-Pacific: Quality and quantity of jobs dropping

    22 October 2012

    Slowing growth in many Asian countries has accentuated labour market challenges in a region that has the world’s largest youth population, and where precarious work is widespread.

  10. News

    Measuring Informality: a new Statistical Manual on the informal sector and informal employment

    05 June 2012

    The ILO has released an edited version of a Manual to help constituents around the world, especially in statistical offices and ministries of labour, to define, quantify and characterize the contribution of the informal sector and informal employment at national level.