Publications on informal economy

  1. Call for proposal

    Diagnostic of Informality in Namibia

    02 November 2023

  2. Publication

    An appraisal of EIIP’s longer-term development impacts

    19 October 2023

    The purpose of this study is to improve understanding of how the project implementation related activities of the Employment Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP) generate long-term development impacts which arise out of: (a) the benefits for users and the wider society of the improved assets, and (b) the employment and increased incomes of those employed on projects.

  3. Report

    Promoting decent work in the African cultural and creative economy

    24 July 2023

    The report identifies the challenges and opportunities for promoting decent work in the African cultural and creative economy (CCE).

  4. Short Report

    The road to decent work for domestic workers

    05 June 2023

  5. ILO Brief

    Statistical Brief - Apprentices in countries with large informal economies

    31 May 2023

    This statistical brief compares country-level data on apprenticeships with an interest in countries with large informal economies. It investigates the possibilities and limitations of current labour force statistics to provide a snapshot on apprenticeships, with data compiled by the ILO from 27 countries (26 African and 1 South Asian countries). It also provides key findings and recommendations based on the comparative analysis.

  6. ILO Working paper 89

    What has been driving work-to-work transitions in the emerging world? – A comparative study of Indonesia and South Africa

    23 March 2023

    This paper examines the shape, prominence and drivers of work-to-work transitions in South Africa and Indonesia – two middle-income countries with similar development levels yet different labour market characteristics.

  7. Report

    Women and men in the informal economy: A statistical update

    07 March 2023

    This report provides a snapshot of the situation in 2019 and trends in selected countries since 2020. It does not intend to provide an in-depth analysis of trends and factors of informality. Instead, the primary objective of this publication is to provide a concise update, both globally and by region, of data on the extent of informal employment, the categories of workers most exposed to informality and the characteristics of those currently in informal employment and their working conditions compared to their counterparts in formal employment.

  8. Publication

    New data shine light on gender gaps in the labour market

    05 March 2023

  9. ILO Brief

    Intervention Model: For extending social protection to migrant workers in the informal economy

    28 February 2023

  10. Publication

    Labour Overview 2022 for Latin America and the Caribbean [Executive summary]

    07 February 2023

    Latin America and the Caribbean faces a "highly complex and uncertain" labour market in 2023 due to a conjunction of multiple crises that impact labour markets and make it necessary to apply policies to create formal employment. The most urgent labour problem for the region is the quality of employment and the insufficient labour and total income generated by workers and their families.