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For the most part, retail jobs are “bad jobs” characterized by low wages, unpredictable work schedules, and few opportunities for advancement. Labour experts Françoise Carré and Chris Tilly show that these conditions are not inevitable. In Where Bad Jobs Are Better , they investigate retail work...
Many employment arrangements today do not fit easily within the existing International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE-93) either because they sit ambiguously between paid employment and self-employment, or because they require greater detail, such as the creation of a new category or...
Statistical Brief 15 discusses the importance and relevance of the definition of informal employment to the economies of developed countries and to studying trends in the structure of employment across all countries. It then reviews the criteria in the International Conference of Labour...
For many of us, the word “informal employment” conjures up images of street vendors, rickshaw drivers, or casual laborers in agriculture—all images linked to the developing world and the hard edges of subsistence in low-income economies. But informal employment means more than irregular or low wages...
Numerous state-level studies show that between 10 and 20 percent of employers misclassify at least one worker as an independent contractor.
This note reviews employment categories that do not fit easily within the existing International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE) either because they sit ambiguously between paid employment and self-employment or because they require greater detail. This note presents the challenges...
Abstract: The informal workforce represents more than half of all workers in most developing countries and a significant share of workers in developed countries. This paper summarizes the history and forms of organizing informal workers, providing a timeline of organizing, typologies of organization...
This article appears in Volume 16 of the publication of Labor and Employment Relations Association , Champaign, Il, pages 18-104. To access the article you must be a member of LERA. See also: Global Networking: Informal Workers Build Solidarity, Power, and Representation Through Networks and...
Choma Choma Nalushaka made an arduous journey from war-torn Congo to South Africa—then waited years for his family to join him. He has established himself as a street barber in his new home in Durban, but the challenges of an informally-employed refugee are many.
This working paper offers new regional estimates on informal employment based on direct measures from 40 countries and indirect measures from another 80 countries. James Heintz (University of Massachusetts) prepared the regional estimates. This publication serves as a companion to a publication...
Videos / Slideshows / Audio
Millions of women work long hours, in dangerous conditions, for little pay. They are fighting for change, with the help of ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. Watch this video to learn how.
Workers Education/Organizing Materials
This manual helps street vendors learn more about the regulations that govern public space and how to defend the right to work in public space. It describes successful actions taken by street vendor organizations. And it offers information to help you organize and negotiate with local government.
WIEGO Working Papers
Mike Rogan reviews how informal workers are taxed, why there is growing interest in taxing them, and whether they should be included in the tax net.