Publications on informal economy

  1. ILO Working paper 84

    Engendering informality statistics: gaps and opportunities

    21 November 2022

    Informality is a dynamic and multidimensional concern that demands gender-sensitive data. In 2018, globally, more than 60% of employment was informal. However, global averages hide that in more countries the share of women in informal employment exceeds that of men. Also, women in the informal economy are often in the most unprotected situations – as domestic workers, home-based workers and contributing family workers – where a lack of visibility can increase their vulnerability.

  2. Publication

    Assessment of social security coverage of workers in diverse forms of employment and in platform employment in China

    12 October 2022

  3. Appendix 1 of 4

    Appendix 1: Report of key findings from the stakeholder survey on decent work in Nature-based Solutions

    08 October 2022

    Appendix 1 of "Decent Work in Nature-based Solutions"

  4. Appendix 2 of 4

    Appendix 2: Methodology for Estimating current and future employment in NbS (Chapter 6)

    08 October 2022

    Appendix 2 of "Decent Work in Nature-based Solutions"

  5. Appendix 3 of 4

    Appendix 3: Classification of countries included in the modelling results (Chapter 6)

    08 October 2022

    Appendix 3 of "Decent Work in Nature-based Solutions"

  6. Appendix 4 of 4

    Appendix 4: Detailed case studies

    08 October 2022

    Appendix 4 of "Decent Work in Nature-based Solutions"

  7. ILO Working paper 80

    Realizing the opportunities of the platform economy through freedom of association and collective bargaining

    30 September 2022

    This study provides empirical evidence from different regions of the world to identify avenues for platform economy workers to access freedom of association and collective bargaining.

  8. Joint report - Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, ILO and IDOS

    A majority working in the shadows: A six-country opinion survey on informal labour in sub-Saharan Africa

    15 September 2022

    Most workers in sub-Saharan Africa are informally employed, which often leaves them without access to health care and social protection.

  9. Publication

    Future of Work, Emerging Sectors and the Potential for Transition to Formality

    12 September 2022

  10. Labour Overview Series 2022

    Weak growth and the global crisis are holding back the recovery of the employment in Latin America and the Caribbean

    01 September 2022

    In a context of partial recovery of labour indicators, the Russian aggression against Ukraine has made the outlook for labour markets in the region more complex. Slowdown in economic growth makes full employment recovery more difficult and increases the risk of informalisation, while accelerating inflation negatively impacts real labour and household incomes. This adds to the enduring distributional effects of the pandemic in a region characterised by very high levels of inequality.