The 4 th International Trade Union Women’s School Rovinj, 2 October 2003 Women in atypical jobs and in the informal economy by Giovanna Rossignotti InFocus Programme on Boosting Employment through Small Enterprise Development (IFP/SEED)

2 / 19 Structure of the presentation Part I: New employment patterns and gender dimensions Part II: Decent work and the informal economy

3 / 19 Part I New employment patterns and gender dimensions

4 / 19 Changing patterns of employment Erosion of the “standard employment pattern”due to: Delocalisation of production between and within countries Delocalisation of production between and within countries Contraction of the number of core wage employees with regular conditions of employment Contraction of the number of core wage employees with regular conditions of employment Expansion of the number of workers engaged in atypical or informal employment Expansion of the number of workers engaged in atypical or informal employment

5 / 19 What is atypical employment Non-traditional, more flexible work arrangements Non-traditional, more flexible work arrangements Generally do not offer the same scope for job and income security as comparable full-time employment Generally do not offer the same scope for job and income security as comparable full-time employment Not synonymous with informal employment Not synonymous with informal employment Can be a “bridge” or a “trap” in terms of labour market participation Can be a “bridge” or a “trap” in terms of labour market participation Often representing the last resort for workers Often representing the last resort for workers Importance of effective legal frameworks and enforcement mechanisms Importance of effective legal frameworks and enforcement mechanisms

6 / 19 What is informal employment Work not recognized, regulated or protected under labour legislation and social protection Work not recognized, regulated or protected under labour legislation and social protection Work in small or scattered locations; individualised work situations; ambiguous employment relations Work in small or scattered locations; individualised work situations; ambiguous employment relations Legal, practical and cultural obstacles to organization Legal, practical and cultural obstacles to organization No longer a “developing world” problem No longer a “developing world” problem Growing everywhere, including in transition economies Growing everywhere, including in transition economies

7 / 19 Atypical vs. informal: Specificities For the enterprises: - atypical jobs are often a business strategy - atypical jobs are often a business strategy - informality the result of a discouraging environment - informality the result of a discouraging environment For the workers: - atypical jobs can be a choice, but not always are - atypical jobs can be a choice, but not always are - informal work is the gate to survival - informal work is the gate to survival

8 / 19 Atypical vs. informal: Commonalities Cutting across different economic sectors and geographical contexts Cutting across different economic sectors and geographical contexts Ambiguous status of the worker: many of those who are in fact “employees” find themselves without the protection of an employment relationship Ambiguous status of the worker: many of those who are in fact “employees” find themselves without the protection of an employment relationship Job insecurity, although more pronounced in the informal economy Job insecurity, although more pronounced in the informal economy Threatening the security and efficiency achieved during the twentieth century Threatening the security and efficiency achieved during the twentieth century

9 / 19 How do atypical and informal jobs affect women and men Increased female participation not matched by improvements in women’s status and occupation Increased female participation not matched by improvements in women’s status and occupation Women more likely to be in insecure and less valued jobs (part-time, temporary, home work) Women more likely to be in insecure and less valued jobs (part-time, temporary, home work) Women still over-represented in the informal economy Women still over-represented in the informal economy Insufficient decline in horizontal occupational segregation and persistent vertical occupational segregation Insufficient decline in horizontal occupational segregation and persistent vertical occupational segregation Women hard hit by migration and trafficking Women hard hit by migration and trafficking

10 / 19 Part II Decent Work and the Informal Economy

11 / 19 What is the informal economy « …all economic activities by workers and economic units that are – in law or in practice – not covered or insufficiently covered by formal arrangements. Their activities are not included in the law, which means that they are operating outside the formal reach of the law; or they are not covered in practice, which means that – although they are operating within the formal reach of the law, the law is not applied or not enforced; or the law discourages compliance because it is inappropriate, burdensome or imposes excessive costs». Report of the Committee on the Informal Economy, International Labour Conference, 90 th Session, Geneva 2002.

12 / 19 A new conceptual framework “Informal economy” instead of “informal sector”“Informal economy” instead of “informal sector” Expanded concept of informality covering informal enterprises and informal employmentExpanded concept of informality covering informal enterprises and informal employment A continuum of relationships, links between informal and formal enterprises and workersA continuum of relationships, links between informal and formal enterprises and workers

13 / 19 A Decent Work Approach to the Informal Economy A comprehensive approach, involving fundamental principles and rights at work, greater and better employment and income opportunities, social protection and social dialogueA comprehensive approach, involving fundamental principles and rights at work, greater and better employment and income opportunities, social protection and social dialogue A progressive approach, starting with the bottom end of the continuum where decent work deficits are most serious and promoting a gradual upgrading of workers and economic units to decent workA progressive approach, starting with the bottom end of the continuum where decent work deficits are most serious and promoting a gradual upgrading of workers and economic units to decent work A realistic approach, acknowledging that the diversity of situations that exist requires country- and context-specific interventionsA realistic approach, acknowledging that the diversity of situations that exist requires country- and context-specific interventions

14 / 19 Meeting the global demand for decent employment Promoting employability and productivity and upgrading employment through education, training, skills developmentPromoting employability and productivity and upgrading employment through education, training, skills development Fostering a policy and institutional environment conducive to higher quantity and quality of jobs in small and micro-enterprisesFostering a policy and institutional environment conducive to higher quantity and quality of jobs in small and micro-enterprises Stimulating aggregate quantity of employment through enabling macroeconomic frameworksStimulating aggregate quantity of employment through enabling macroeconomic frameworks Securing a more efficient allocation of resourcesSecuring a more efficient allocation of resources

15 / 19 Enhancing rights in the Informal Economy All those who work have rights at work irrespective of where they work and what sort of work they do, and no matter what contract they haveAll those who work have rights at work irrespective of where they work and what sort of work they do, and no matter what contract they have ILO Declaration and labour standards provide solid international basis for application to the IEILO Declaration and labour standards provide solid international basis for application to the IE Rights deficits due to how standards are expressed and enforced through national law and practice. Therefore:Rights deficits due to how standards are expressed and enforced through national law and practice. Therefore:  Improve labour legislation  Improve labour legislation  Strengthen labour administrations and enforce labour rights  Strengthen labour administrations and enforce labour rights  Promote legal literacy, especially for women workers  Promote legal literacy, especially for women workers  Improve regulatory frameworks for business  Improve regulatory frameworks for business

16 / 19 Improving social protection In the long term, extending and adapting statutory social security provisions: social insurance, universal benefits and social assistance programmesIn the long term, extending and adapting statutory social security provisions: social insurance, universal benefits and social assistance programmes Promoting decentralized insurance schemes as a stepping stone to universal coveragePromoting decentralized insurance schemes as a stepping stone to universal coverage Linking decentralized schemes with other social protection systems for equity and efficiency reasonsLinking decentralized schemes with other social protection systems for equity and efficiency reasons Improving occupational safety and health, with attention to hazardous occupations and vulnerable groupsImproving occupational safety and health, with attention to hazardous occupations and vulnerable groups

17 / 19 Strengthening organization and representation Promoting an enabling environment (legal framework and governance) for effective exercise of the right to organize and bargaining collectivelyPromoting an enabling environment (legal framework and governance) for effective exercise of the right to organize and bargaining collectively Devisingstrengthening innovativeforms of action by traditional stakeholders (national and local governments, trade unions and employers’ associations)Devising and strengthening innovative forms of action by traditional stakeholders (national and local governments, trade unions and employers’ associations) Fostering broad-based and all-inclusive dialogue and strategic alliancesFostering broad-based and all-inclusive dialogue and strategic alliances

18 / 19 What role for trade unions Lobbying reforms and policy interventionsLobbying reforms and policy interventions Stimulating action on the part of partners and intended beneficiariesStimulating action on the part of partners and intended beneficiaries Extending representation throughout the IE, namely through:Extending representation throughout the IE, namely through: New recruitment strategies and modi operandi New recruitment strategies and modi operandi Special services Special services Adequate education methodology Adequate education methodology Strategic coalitions and alliances Strategic coalitions and alliances

19 / 19 Additional documentation is available on our website: