Informal economy

Desarrollo productivo, formalización laboral y normas del trabajo: áreas prioritarias de trabajo de la OIT en América Latina y el Caribe

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Document

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															Desarrollo productivo, formalización laboral y normas del trabajo: áreas prioritarias de trabajo de la OIT en América Latina y el Caribe
													

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The International Labour Organization is the tripartite U.N. agency that promotes Decent Work through employment, social security, labour standards and social dialogue. Its work on skills development is guided by the conceptual framework on Skills to improve productivity, employment growth, and development agreed in 2008 by representatives of Governments, Employers’ Associations and Workers’ Associations. Research, policy advice, and pilot projects and technical cooperation programmes to apply good practices in different circumstances across its 185 member States aims to boost the employability of workers, the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises, and the inclusiveness of economic growth. The ILO Secretariat in offices in 40 countries works with Ministries of Labour, employers’ organizations, and trade unions to integrate skills development into national and sector development strategies in order to better meet current labour market needs and to prepare for the jobs of the future; to expand access to employment-related training so that youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are better able to acquire skills and secure productive and decent work; and to improve the ability of public employment services to provide career guidance, maintain labour exchange services, and deliver active labour market programmes.For more information regarding the ILO’s work on skills and employability go to: http://www.ilo.org/skills/lang--en/index.htm; for ILO/Cinterfor's Knowledge Management Plarform, see: http://www.oitcinterfor.org

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skpILO

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ilo

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Training quality and relevance

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skpTrainQR

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training-quality-and-relevance

Research papers

Working papers, reports, and other publications from international organizations, academic institutions and bilateral agencies. Research findings to stimulate informed debate on skills, employment and productivity issues.

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skpRPS

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research-papers

Publication Date:

15 Dec 2017

Open

wcmstest4_195315.pdf

América Latina y el Caribe es una región sumamente diversa, pero a la vez una que tiene una serie de retos comunes. La Oficina Regional para América Latina y el Caribe ha hecho un esfuerzo por capturar y resumir los principales retos de la región vistos desde la perspectiva de la promoción del empleo productivo, el trabajo decente y la justicia social, y de agrupar la visión resultante en tres áreas prioritarias de trabajo.

El resultado es el presente documento que agrupa las diferentes líneas de trabajo en tres grandes áreas prioritarias: (1) Políticas de desarrollo productivo para el crecimiento inclusivo con más y mejores empleos, (2) Promover el tránsito a la formalidad y (3) Promover el respeto y aplicación de las normas internacionales de trabajo (NITs) y de la legislación del trabajo.

Por ese motivo esta publicación contiene tres documentos, uno para cada una de las prioridades. Cada documento analiza en un breve diagnóstico la situación y tendencias de los países de la región en cada una de ellas, explica su alineamiento con los mandatos y prioridades globales de la OIT, así como su contribución a la ejecución del programa y presupuesto de la Organización, y plantea las principales direcciones estratégicas para el trabajo en cada tema en la región.

Subject Tags:

Inclusion

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inclusion

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665

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informal-economy

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187

Productivity

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productivity

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188

Skills and training policy

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skills-and-training-policy

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666

Regions:

Americas

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Sri Lanka employment diagnostic study: Fostering workforce skills through education

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Document

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															Sri Lanka employment diagnostic study: Fostering workforce skills through education
													

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English

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english

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skpEng

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ILO

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skpILO

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ilo

Other sources

Experts from many international, regional and national agencies generously share their views, experiences and findings on skills, helping policy-makers among other stakeholders to understand the linkages between education, training and the world of work, and how to integrate skills into national development planning to promote employment and economic growth.

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skpOSource

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other-sources

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Career guidance and employment services

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Career guidance and counselling, career education and lifelong development of skills for employability are key for success in learning activities, effective career transitions, livelihood planning, entrepreneurship and in increasing labour market participation. They are instrumental in promoting skills utilization, recognition (RPL), as well as in improving enterprise human resource management.

Career development activities encompass a wide variety of support activities including career information and advice, counselling, work exposure (e.g. job shadowing, work experience periods), assessment, coaching, mentoring, professional networking, advocacy, basic and employability skills training (curricular and non-curricular) and entrepreneurship training. It is often an area which is fragmented across different ministries (e.g. education, TVET, employment, youth) requiring an effort to achieve the necessary coordination to provide adequate support to individuals during learning, employment and unemployment/inactivity periods.

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skpLMIES

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career-guidance-and-employment-services

Older workers

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Access for all to good quality education, vocational training and workplace learning is a fundamental principle of social cohesion and economic growth. Some groups of people may require targeted attention if they are to benefit from education, training and employment opportunities.

This is particularly the case for disadvantaged youth, lower skilled workers, people with disabilities, and people in rural communities. The attractiveness of vocational education and training is enhanced when combined with entrepreneurship training and when public policies encourage utilization of higher skills by business.

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skpOldwor

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older-workers

Knowledge Products:

Research papers

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skpRPS

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research-papers

Publication Date:

01 Dec 2017

Open

wcmstest4_194966.pdf

This study examines Sri Lanka’s employment situation, including issues of aging and skills generation, and draws recommendations from the analysis. The report starts with an overview of the labor market in relation to both labor supply and demand. It then looks at the issues of aging and skill generation. The concluding chapter examines links between labor market trends, informality, and poverty. The report identifies two major challenges for the labor market in Sri Lanka: (1) coping with the aging of the population; and (2) generating new skills that are currently in demand, and that will drive future productivity growth. Welfare implications of recent growth have been positive, even though this growth has been characterized by increased informalization. Productivity growth has increased, and poverty among the self-employed has declined, both of which have driven a large fall in overall poverty incidence from the mid-2000s. But the slow growth of the formal sector is a problem for the security of employment and investments in human capital.

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Informal economy

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informal-economy

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187

Labour market information

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labour-market-information

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684

Older workers

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older-workers

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682

Poverty

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poverty

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148

Skills anticipation

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skills-anticipation

Identifier

677

Regions:

Asia and the Pacific

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Countries and territories:

Sri Lanka

World Employment and Social Outlook 2017: Sustainable enterprises and jobs – Formal enterprises and decent work

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Document

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															World Employment and Social Outlook 2017: Sustainable enterprises and jobs – Formal enterprises and decent work
													

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English

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english

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skpEng

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ILO

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skpILO

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ilo

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Participation of employers' and workers' organizations

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The world of learning and the world of work are separate but linked. While one involves learning, the other produces goods and services. Neither can thrive without the other. Strong partnerships between government, employers and workers help ensure the relevance of training to the changing needs of enterprises and labour markets.

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skpPSP

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participation-of-employers-and-workers-organizations

Training quality and relevance

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skpTrainQR

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training-quality-and-relevance

Knowledge Products:

Research papers

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skpRPS

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research-papers

Publication Date:

09 Oct 2017

Open

wcmstest4_193698.pdf

This edition examines the issue of sustainable enterprises through an in-depth analysis of the characteristics of firms, their strategies and how they relate to enterprise performance and labour market outcomes. The focus of this edition is primarily on formal private sector enterprises and the ways in which they respond to changing global and national contexts. In particular, the report assesses the linkages between various internal strategies to manage and organize human and financial resources – including capital structure, innovation, trade and global supply chains – and competitiveness and labour market outcomes at the enterprise level.

In so doing, the report emphasizes the role of governments and social partners in fostering sustainable enterprises, notably by shaping supporting institutions and policies through effective social dialogue. Yet it highlights that decent and productive employment is fundamentally based on firms fostering equity in employment opportunities, workers’ protection and rights, and investing in workers as well as other important factors of production.

The analysis of the report contributes to the Agenda for Sustainable Development, which places the promotion of job creation, entrepreneurship and the formalization and growth of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises at the heart of achieving the goal of ‘decent work and economic growth’, and to the ILO’s Future of Work Centenary Initiative.

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Human resources development

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human-resources-development

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118

Informal economy

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informal-economy

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187

Labour market information

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labour-market-information

Identifier

684

Private sector

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private-sector

Identifier

229

Productivity

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productivity

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188

Regions:

Global

Social and Solidarity Economy and the Future of Work

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Document

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Social and Solidarity Economy and the Future of Work

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English

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english

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skpEng

Sources:

ILO

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skpILO

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ilo

Topics:

Anticipating and matching skills needs

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Anticipating and building skills for the future is essential to a rapidly changing labour market. This applies to changes in the types and levels of skills needed as well as in occupational and technical areas. Effective methods to anticipate future skills needs and avoid potential mismatches include: sustained dialogue between employers and trainers, coordination across government institutions, labour market information systems, employment services and performance reviews of training institutions.

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skpAFSN

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anticipating-and-matching-skills-needs

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Research papers

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skpRPS

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research-papers

Publication Date:

03 Oct 2017

Open

wcmstest4_193517.pdf

The global economy is affected by significant economic, technological and demographic changes that threaten to reduce decent work opportunities at a time when the demand for employment is growing and economic inequalities are higher than ever. New technologies and automation are increasingly replacing human workers, and the sectors that are less likely to be affected by these phenomena and more likely to grow in the near future (like personal services, for instance) are also more prone to informal or non-standard forms of employment. In this context, significant attention is being paid to the social and solidarity economy (SSE) as a viable option to help address some of these challenges. Indeed, while the SSE comprises a diverse and heterogeneous universe of organizational models and approaches, the main actors within the SSE share a set of common features that make them ideally suited to take on some of the key issues related to the future of work.

The paper reviews the main theoretical arguments and empirical evidence on the features and role of SSE organizations, paying particular attention to their implications for the creation and preservation of decent work. The analysis shows that SSE organizations can indeed help create and preserve employment in traditional sectors and promote decent work by providing quality and stable jobs, facilitating women’s entry into the labour force, integrating disadvantaged workers and helping the transition from informal to formal employment. The paper also argues that SSE organizations can help channel jobs in emerging sectors like the “silver economy”, that are at risk of non-standard forms of work, within entrepreneurial organizations that can provide more structure and security. This will be particularly important in the coming years, as a larger share of employment will come from the service sector (including in particular personal care and social services) and will be much less structured than in the past due to the rise of the gig economy. The paper concludes with a review of the main policy implications, briefly describing the types of initiatives, both at the national and international levels, that could lend the SSE the support it needs in order to fulfil its potential and help improve the future of work.

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Cooperatives

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cooperatives

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158

Economic and social development

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economic-and-social-development

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125

Informal economy

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informal-economy

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187

Older workers

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older-workers

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682

Skills anticipation

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skills-anticipation

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677

Technology

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technology

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345

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Rising to the youth employment challenge: New evidence on key policy issues (Summary)

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Document

Content Type:

															Rising to the youth employment challenge: New evidence on key policy issues (Summary)
													

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English

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english

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skpEng

Sources:

ILO

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skpILO

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ilo

Topics:

Youth employability

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Globally, nearly 68 million young women and men are looking for and available for work, and an estimated 123 million young people are working but living in poverty. The number who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) stands at 267 million, a majority of whom are young women. Significantly, young people are three times as likely as adults (25 years and older) to be unemployed.

Skills development is a primary means of enabling young people to make a smooth transition to work. A comprehensive approach is required to integrate young women and men in the labour market, including relevant and quality skills training, labour market information, career guidance and employment services, recognition of prior learning, incorporating entrepreneurship with training and effective skills forecasting. Improved basic education and core work skills are particularly important to enable youth to engage in lifelong learning as well as transition to the labour market.

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skpYoEmp

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youth-employability

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Research papers

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skpRPS

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research-papers

Publication Date:

10 Aug 2017

Open

wcmstest4_192108.pdf

Executive summary of the book. Young women and men today face an ever more difficult task in finding their place in the world of work. In low- and middle-income countries, informal employment has come to dominate young people’s labour market experiences, while in high-income countries, work for youth increasingly means temporary and other non-standard forms of employment.

This book brings together contributions from the ILO’s Youth Employment Programme detailing policies that enable young people to find decent work. The chapters are organized around the pillars of the ILO’s 2012 call for action on youth employment and consider the impacts of a broad range of interventions including fiscal and sectoral development policies, minimum wages and active labour market programmes. An important theme running through the book – in addition to the growing instability of youth employment – is the importance of interactions and complementarities between institutions, policies and the broader economic context.

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Informal economy

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informal-economy

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187

Regions:

Global

Recognising Non-Formal and Informal Learning. Outcomes, Policies and Practices

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Document

Content Type:

Recognising Non-Formal and Informal Learning. Outcomes, Policies and Practices

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English

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english

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skpEng

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Information is gathered from other international organizations that promote skills development and the transition from education and training to work. The Interagency Group on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (IAG-TVET) was established in 2009 to share research findings, coordinate joint research endeavours, and improve collaboration among organizations working at the international and national levels.

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skpIntOrg

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international-organizations

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Lifelong learning

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There is a critical need for a greater overall investment in education and training, particularly in developing countries. Education and training investments should be closely linked to economic and employment growth strategies and programmes. Responsibility should be shared between the government (primary responsibility), enterprises, the social partners, and the individual. To make lifelong learning for all a reality, countries will need to make major reforms of their vocational and education and training systems. School-to-work schemes for young people should integrate education with workplace learning. Training systems need to become more flexible and responsive to rapidly changing skill requirements. Reforms should also focus on how learning can be facilitated, not just on training for specific occupational categories.

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skpPSLLL

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lifelong-learning

Policy and strategy

Recommendations and advice on resolving policy challenges related to skills development systems and their linkages to the world of work. Concise syntheses of experience from the international organizations.

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skpPolOp

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policy-and-strategy

Research papers

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Identifier

skpRPS

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research-papers

Publication Date:

29 May 2017

Open

wcmstest4_189899.pdf

This book provides policy recommendations on how best to structure and organise systems for recognition of non-formal and informal learning and is based on an OECD review of 22 countries.

DOI:10.1787/9789264063853-en

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Informal economy

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informal-economy

Identifier

187

Recognition of prior learning

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recognition-of-prior-learning

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675

Skills recognition

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skills-recognition

Identifier

656

Regions:

Europe and Central Asia

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Moving out of the bottom of the economy? Constraints to firm transition in the Indian informal manufacturing sector

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Document

Content Type:

															Moving out of the bottom of the economy? Constraints to firm transition in the Indian informal manufacturing sector 
													

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English

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english

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skpEng

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Other sources

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skpOSource

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other-sources

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Promotional material

Presentations, discussion papers, meeting reports, promotional materials, videos, fact sheets, brochures and newsletters on skills development for employment.

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skpAIM

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promotional-material

Publication Date:

18 Nov 2016

Open

wcmstest4_185093.pdf

The predominant type of firms in developing countries is small family firms and the self-employed in the informal sector. Very few family firms make the transition to larger firms employing non-family labour. In this paper, we examine the reasons for the low presence of firms employing non-family labour in the informal sector, using a firm-level data set drawn from nationally representative repeated cross-sectional surveys of the Indian informal manufacturing sector. We find that the key constraint to firm transition is firm capabilities, followed by the level of urbanisation, access to electricity and roads, and human capital, with financial constraints playing a lesser role.

DOI 10.1186/s40175-016-0056-8

Subject Tags:

Enterprises

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enterprises

Identifier

175

Informal economy

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informal-economy

Identifier

187

Regions:

Asia and the Pacific

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Countries and territories:

India

Upgrading informal apprenticeships in Jordan: Key findings from a pilot study

Type:

Document

Content Type:

Upgrading informal apprenticeships in Jordan: Key findings from a pilot study

Language:

English

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english

Identifier

skpEng

Sources:

ILO

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Identifier

skpILO

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ilo

Other sources

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Identifier

skpOSource

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other-sources

Topics:

Knowledge Products:

Research papers

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Identifier

skpRPS

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research-papers

Publication Date:

19 Sep 2016

Open

wcmstest4_182088.pdf

In developed economies, formal apprenticeship systems have proven to ease young people’s transitions from school to work. In most informal economies, meanwhile, informal apprenticeships remain the chief mode of skills transfer for young workers. In these informal systems, young learners or apprentices acquire the skills for a specific trade in a micro or small business by learning and working side-by-side with an experienced craftsperson. These apprenticeships are based on an informal agreement embedded in local norms and traditions, rather than on a contractual relationship, leaving room for misunderstandings and low standards.

ILO interventions in Africa have demonstrated that well designed approaches can enhance informal apprenticeship practices by introducing improvements and upgrades negotiated between the master craftsperson, the apprentice and a vocational training centre. Projects that were piloted in Jordan, Egypt and Tunisia in 2013 serve as a basis for Arab version of this approach. This report summarizes the findings and results from the Jordan pilot carried out between April 2013 and March 2014.

Subject Tags:

Apprenticeships

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apprenticeships

Identifier

639

Informal economy

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informal-economy

Identifier

187

School-to-work transition

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school-to-work-transition

Identifier

652

Regions:

Arab States

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Countries and territories:

Jordan

The role of skills and education in predicting micro-enterprise performance

Type:

Document

Content Type:

The role of skills and education in predicting micro-enterprise performance

Language:

English

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english

Identifier

skpEng

Sources:

Other sources

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Identifier

skpOSource

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other-sources

Topics:

Training quality and relevance

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Identifier

skpTrainQR

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training-quality-and-relevance

Knowledge Products:

Research papers

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Identifier

skpRPS

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research-papers

Publication Date:

16 Sep 2016

Open

wcmstest4_181881.pdf

In light of South Africa’s high levels of unemployment and relatively small informal sector, enabling and supporting growth of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in the informal sector is of developmental importance and a policy priority. The associated benefits of SMME growth, such as employment creation, enhancement of economic growth and poverty alleviation, provide further motivation for the prioritisation of this sector.

In view of the developmental importance of SMMEs, the purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of SMME performance in South Africa. In particular, this paper is interested in the role played by education and skills in driving firm performance. The research objective of this paper is addressed by firstly using direct and indirect measures of skills to generate a human capital profile of SMME owners across both the formal and informal sectors, and secondly by using econometric analysis to examine the factors determining firm performance along two dimensions: financial performance and the ability to access market opportunities. Finally, based on the analysis in this paper and related research, policy guidance concerning skills development initiatives to the SMME sector is provided.

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Enterprises

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enterprises

Identifier

175

Informal economy

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informal-economy

Identifier

187

Small enterprises

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small-enterprises

Identifier

181

Regions:

Africa

Region Image

Countries and territories:

South Africa

Mexico: Policy priorities to upgrade the skills and knowledge of Mexicans for greater productivity and innovation

Type:

Document

Content Type:

															Mexico: Policy priorities to upgrade the skills and knowledge of Mexicans for greater productivity and innovation 
													

Language:

English

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english

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skpEng

Sources:

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skpIntOrg

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international-organizations

Topics:

Monitoring and evaluation

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Measuring the outcomes of skills systems, policies and targeted programmes is essential in order to monitor and improve their effectiveness and relevance. Elements of sound assessment processes include: institutions to sustain feedback from employers and trainees; mechanisms to track labour market outcomes of training and systems of accountability that use this information; and, quantitative and qualitative labour market information and its dissemination to all stakeholders.

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skpPolPer

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monitoring-and-evaluation

Training quality and relevance

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Identifier

skpTrainQR

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training-quality-and-relevance

Knowledge Products:

Research papers

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Identifier

skpRPS

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research-papers

Publication Date:

07 Sep 2016

Open

wcmstest4_181281.pdf

'Better Policies' Series In recent years, Mexico has distinguished itself for having a solid macroeconomic framework with low inflation and strong openness to international markets. This has increased the country’s attractiveness as a destination for international investment, which is increasingly flowing into high value-added sectors. Since recently, Mexico hosts a large number of modern firms, notably in the sectors of aerospace, automobiles, foods and beverages, which employ high-skilled and well-educated workers. But other parts of the economy are characterised by high informality, low-skilled work, weak productivity and out-of-date technologies. As a result, the Mexican economy experienced a prolonged growth slowdown during the past three decades, leaving it behind other OECD countries and hurting the population’s relative living standards. This document explores Mexico’s education and skills priorities with regard to informality and provides some recommendations.

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