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ILO adopts historic recommendation to tackle informal economy

Xinhua, June 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

The International Labor Organization (ILO) on Friday adopted a Recommendation that is expected to help hundreds of millions of workers and economic units move out of informality and into the formal economy.

The Recommendation, the first ever international labor standard specifically aimed at tackling the informal economy, was passed by 484 votes in favor and garnered outstanding support during the International Labor Conference (ILC) Friday.

According to ILO officials, this is a crucial step in assisting countries to set up the necessary measures to promote decent job creation and sustainable enterprises in the formal economy.

ILO figures show that more than half of the world's workforce is estimated to be trapped in the informal economy, which is marked by the denial of rights at work, the absence of sufficient opportunities for quality employment, inadequate social protection, a lack of social dialogue and low productivity, all of which constitutes a significant obstacle to the development of sustainable enterprises.

"Over the years we've seen a growing consensus between governments, workers and employers that the right thing to do is to move people from an informal to a formal employment situation," said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.

"The great value of this Recommendation is that we now have an international framework of guidance to help member states bring this about," he added.

According to Virgil Seafield, Chair of Committee on the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy and Chief Director for Advocacy and Statutory Services at the Department of Labor in South Africa, the new Recommendation is a major step forward in bringing the grey economy out of the shadows.

"It will help transform the informal economy, which has been particularly pervasive in developing economies. Importantly, it will facilitate the transition of the many million workers in the informal economy, promote job creation in the formal economy and prevent further informalization," he noted.

The adoption of the Recommendation came as the ILC is gearing to close its 104th session, where once again government, employer and worker representatives have worked together to discuss and move forward on key world of work issues. Endit