ILO adopts new standards to measure informal labour

BWI expressed interest and openness to the 21st International Conference of Labour Statisticians’ (ICLS) adoption of new standards on the informal economy, which it said could be a crucial tool to empower countries to collect more accurate data and implement effective policies for the approximately two billion workers globally engaged in the informal labour sector.

BWI said that the adopted standards could offer comprehensive definitions of key concepts related to the informal economy while allowing flexibility to accommodate diverse realities in different countries' systems and laws. Covering working conditions and other characteristics of work, as well as unpaid work such as volunteer work and subsistence farming, these standards provide a good foundation for countries to generate high-quality information.

Additionally, the conference endorsed three (3) resolutions aligning existing standards with recent developments in the world of work. The said resolutions cover the measurement of employment-related income, statistics on household income and expenditure, and statistics on work, employment, and labor underutilization. BWI reiterated its commitment to work with the ILO and promote decent work, and acknowledges the important role played by principled partnerships in shaping global labour statistics.

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