Cultural skills as drivers of decency in decent work: an investigation of skilled workers in the informal economy

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Mahima Saxena
Keyword(s):  
Informal Economy ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Cultural Skills

scholarly journals Insights on the theoretical causes of labour informality: the indivisibility of hours

2020 ◽  
pp. 25-33
Author(s):  
Carolia A. Quintero-Rojas ◽  
Sébastien Ménard
Keyword(s):  
Informal Economy ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
General Characteristic ◽  
Inclusive Growth ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Economic Costs ◽  
Formal Sector ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
The World

Achieving decent work for all is essential for promoting sustainable and inclusive growth and development. However, in the world prevails a marked lack of decent work, higher unemployment, and persistent inequalities; and this panorama has been exacerbated by the global effects of the pandemic caused by COVID – 19. The gap from decent work is especially pronounced in the informal economy, which affects roughly 61% of the global employed population; moreover, it implies large social and economic costs, affecting income, occupational health and safety, productivity, and welfare. In this context, our goal is to develop a suitable theoretical framework to explore the causes of informal employment, based on the wage posting approach pioneered by Burdett and Mortensen (1998). Our note adds to this line of research by considering other general characteristic of the formal sector as a cause of informality, such as the rigid contracts regarding wages and working time. This hypothesis seems pertinent given that informality affects high-skilled workers too.

The ILO and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration: labour migration, decent work and implementation of the Compact with specific reference to the Arab states region

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 304-320
Author(s):  
Ryszard Cholewinski
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Labour Migration ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
International Labour Organization ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Global Compact ◽  
Governance Challenges ◽  
Arab States

AbstractThis paper explores the role played by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in the consultations and stocktaking during 2017 and the negotiations during 2018 leading up to the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). It examines selected parts of the text of the GCM, with particular reference to the ILO's mandate of securing social justice and decent work, as well as the protection of migrant workers and governance of labour migration. The final part of the paper looks ahead to the ILO's role in the implementation of the GCM, with specific reference to the Arab states region, where migration for employment is significant and the governance challenges, particularly in relation to the protection of low-wage and low-skilled workers, are especially acute.

New forms of employment and workers' health

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (12) ◽  
pp. 936-950
Author(s):  
Eduard I. Denisov
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Occupational Health ◽  
Informal Economy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Program Goal ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Home Work ◽  
The Future

Globalization and digitalization give rise to a complex of problems of economics, sociology, and occupational health. The prevalence of precarious employment (PE) is growing. In connection with the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis, employment and social well-being have become acute. The study aims to review literature and essays on PE as a problem of occupational health and a new social determinant of workers' health. The author has made the analysis of documents from WHO, ILO, European Union, etc., scientific literature and essays on the problem of PE and its impact on somatic (including reproductive) health, mental health, and workers' social well-being. The legal bases of labor and health protection are considered. The informal economy, the terminology of forms of PE, and the ILO Convention No. 175 on part-time work and the Convention No. 177 on home work and the Decent Work Initiative were analyzed. The characteristics and prevalence of PE, examples of forms of work organization, affected groups of the population, and sectors of the economy are considered. Vulnerable groups are women (especially pregnant women), young and elderly workers, migrants, and the most unfavorable situation is in construction, agriculture, catering, tourism, etc., and much better in the public sector. PE and its impact on health are an essential topic in social epidemiology, and affective health problems are almost as severe as unemployment. PE is often associated with poor working conditions, physically demanding work and an increased risk of accidents, with young workers more often affected. The lack of confidence in keeping a job negatively affects mental health - the odds ratio is over 1.5. PE is associated with impaired reproductive behavior and reproductive health and the birth of children with low body weight. The features of home work, its pros, and cons are given. An analysis of employment from the standpoint of occupational health revealed the relationship between forms of employment and indicators of health and quality of life and made it possible to complete some generalizations and formulate the principles of work and health. The future of labor, new occupations, knowledge, and skills are considered. In the United Nations Development Program, Goal 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, is to achieve full employment and decent work for all by 2030. PE is becoming more frequent; therefore, further data collection and research into its effects among new groups of workers is necessary. Soon, the digitalization of the economy and society will cause a paradigm shift in occupational health: the future of occupational health is the prevention of occupational diseases and work-related disorders.

scholarly journals A Proposed Credit Risk Assessment for People at the Bottom of the Social Pyramid in Cali, Colombia

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Juan Acevedo ◽  
Lina Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Credit Risk ◽  
Informal Economy ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Street Vendors ◽  
Street Vending ◽  
Internal Conflicts ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Individual

The informal economy accounts for half of the economic activity in Colombia. Street vending is a major part of the informal sector. In the context of a rapid urbanization due to internal conflicts, low skilled workers find a last resort for income generation as street vendors. Even though studies have revealed that street vendors can have high profits, they usually remain poor. A primary reason is their continuous indebtedness outside the regulated financial market. This paper proposes a comprehensive questionnaire survey on the socioeconomic profile of street vendors. This tool can be used to assess the individual credit risk and incentivize the financial inclusion of the poor. It can also be used for evaluation processes by the government or impact investors.

scholarly journals For a Decade of Hope Not Austerity in the Middle East and North Africa: Towards a fair and inclusive recovery to fight inequality

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nabil Abdo ◽  
Shaddin Almasri
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Informal Economy ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Women Refugees ◽  
Ordinary People ◽  
Decent Work

Even before the coronavirus crisis struck, people in the Middle East and North Africa were protesting against the injustice and inequality wrought by a decade of austerity. The pandemic and the lockdown measures taken by governments have paralysed economies and threaten to tip millions of people into poverty, with women, refugees, migrant workers and those working in the informal economy among the worst affected. A huge increase in inequality is very likely. More austerity following this crisis will mean more uprisings, more inequality, and more conflict. This paper argues that if another decade of pain is to be averted, governments need to take immediate action to reduce inequality through providing public services to protect ordinary people by taxing the richest and guaranteeing decent work.

scholarly journals Social exclusion of the young from the labour market in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sociologija ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-302
Author(s):  
Velinka Tomic
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
Informal Economy ◽  
Youth Unemployment ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Active Labour Market Policy ◽  
Active Labour ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Unemployed Youth

The population of young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina is confronted with many challenges - economic, institutional and social. The participation of young people in education drops significantly after they turn 18, while entry into the labour market happens around 20 years of age. Unemployment mostly affects people with lower education levels, such as those with a secondary school degree or qualified workers. The youth unemployment rate, the most commonly used indicator of the disadvantages faced by young people in the labour market, is very high in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The single most significant factor affecting the labour market experiences of young people is the extensive informal economy in the country. Active Labour Market Policy for young people attempts to reduce the problems faced by young people in their attempts to find decent work once they enter the labour market. They attempt to remedy failures of the educational system and to improve the efficiency of labour market matching. The percentage of unemployed youth is of great importance because the youth are in the age when the ability and motivation for work are at their peak. Any society that excludes half of its population from the sphere of work acts against public interest.

scholarly journals The Impact of Trade Liberalisation on Decent Work: The Case of the Philippine Sugar Mill Workers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Johana Sellado Jadoc
Keyword(s):  
Work Conditions ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Trade Liberalisation ◽  
Sugar Mill ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Employment Generation ◽  
Liberal Trade ◽  
Permanent Workers ◽  
The Impact

<p>The impact of trade liberalisation on the structure and nature of work is a divisive topic. On the one hand, there are those who support trade liberalisation by pointing to the potential employment generation (Kelly & Prokhovnik, 2004) and the upward pressure on workers’ skills levels (Mander & Goldsmith, 1996). In contrast, there are those who remain critical and argue that trade liberalisation results in job losses, downward pressure on working conditions and limited opportunity for unskilled workers (Solidar, 2007c; 2007e). Impacts that indicate an improvement in decent work are often framed as ‘social upgrading’ while any deterioration in decent work is seen to result in ‘social downgrading’. Research in this field, while growing, tends to assess the impact of trade liberalisation from a national, sectoral or organisational perspective, while little is known of the workers’ perspective. Adopting a worker perspective, this thesis examines the impact of trade liberalisation on decent work among sugar mill workers in the Philippines.  Using a qualitative single case study method, the study draws on the changes in employment and work conditions in a sugar mill when liberal trade policies were introduced. The study uses both primary and secondary data. Primary data were taken from representatives of the workers, the employer and the government sector at national and workplace levels.  The study highlights the trade-offs between indicators of decent work and finds that decent work can be influenced by institutional frameworks in addition to employment strategies. Trade liberalisation resulted in numerical flexibility where permanent workers were reduced while contractual workers were hired as cost reduction measures and a way of avoiding labour laws that are protective of permanent workers. A shift of employment demand toward semi-skilled or skilled workers was also found. Thus, this research directs the attention of future research on trade liberalisation and decent work towards more vulnerable workers such as contractual workers. Furthermore, it highlights the need to increase the coverage of legislative protection to include non-permanent workers. Lastly, it challenges the Philippine government to increase the skill level of its workforce to facilitate employment generation.</p>

THE INFLUENCE OF DIGITALIZATION ON THE GLOBAL PROFESSIONAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE LABOR FORCE

2021 ◽  
Vol 298 (5 Part 1) ◽  
pp. 92-98
Author(s):  
Anatolii RUMIANTSEV ◽  
Tetiana KOVBYCH ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Labor Force ◽  
Informal Economy ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Structural Problems ◽  
International Trends ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Professional Transformation

The article considers the main directions of the impact of digitalization on the global professional transformation of the workforce. The main attention is paid to structural problems of employment, labor market reform and its segmentation, consequences of introduction of automatic telephone systems, computer automation of production, processes of interaction of virtual workers, expansion of electronic workplaces, gender tendencies in digitalization of labor force and electronic work tools. Actions to eliminate illegal migration and reduce the share of the informal economy are considered and proposed. In the process of global professional transformation of the labor force, the system of values changes, material things are replaced by intangible ones. Informatization and intellectualization of the economy and social life is becoming a major driver that requires highly educated, highly skilled workers, as well as favorable ways to create favorable conditions for the optimal functioning of the single labor market. After all, the transformation of the labor market in the world depends on the influence of a wide range of factors and is characterized by a number of features. The change in demand for labor is determined by structural changes in national economies, the development of which is largely due to the deepening of globalization processes. Transformational processes in the international labor market and changes in the structure of employment remain little studied, and therefore are quite relevant today. Particular scientific attention needs to be paid to issues that are directly related to the assessment of qualitative changes in the functioning of the labor force and reflect the current international trends in its genesis in the context of digitalization. Theoretical and factual basis of this research is also the peculiarities of regulation and operation of the labor market in the most developed integration group such as the European Union (EU). First of all, the significant increase in the number of normative and legal documents regulating the legal basis for the use of the labor market in the EU countries and aimed at its reform is noteworthy.

Home

2019 ◽  
pp. 193-228
Author(s):  
Eileen Boris
Keyword(s):  
Labor Force Participation ◽  
Informal Economy ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Domestic Workers ◽  
Informal Employment ◽  
Migrant Labor ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Women's Labor ◽  
Institutional Barriers ◽  
Women's Labor Force Participation

After looking at prior efforts to address domestic/household work, this chapter situates the making of the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189), “Decent Work for Domestic Workers.” Paving the way were ILO discussions on migrant labor and the informal economy. “Decent work” and “fair globalization” initiatives framed the convention, but the ILO would not have formalized household employment without national and regional social movements, the creation of the International Domestic Workers Network (IDWN) under South Africa’s Myrtle Witbooi, and its campaign for ILO attention. Domestic workers gained a presence at the ILO, despite formal institutional barriers, aided by NGO and union allies, especially Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) and the IUF (International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations). Convention No. 189 recognized the centrality of paid care work for women’s labor force participation and the functioning of the global economy. For a new century, it boosted the ILO in a fight against the precarity and informality that were undermining the very idea of universal labor standards. Parlaying victory into better conditions would prove daunting, but IDWN (and its successor, the International Domestic Workers Federation [IDWF]) secured more ratifications in a few years than many other conventions.

scholarly journals Trade Union Transformation and Informal Sector Organising in Uganda: The Prospects and Challenges for Promoting Labour-led Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Gerhard Schminke ◽  
Gavin Fridell
Keyword(s):  
Informal Sector ◽  
Informal Economy ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Development Theory ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Trade Unionism ◽  
Informal Labour

Despite celebrations from governments, corporations and international financial institutions around increasing economic growth, the majority of the world’s urban labour force continues to work under informal conditions, lacking enforceable contracts, adequate earnings, democratic representation, secure employment and social protection. The pervasiveness of informal labour globally has given rise to numerous calls to adopt a wider and more diverse understanding of what constitutes labouring classes and what is required to organise them. Our case study assesses the outcomes and effectiveness of informal sector organising in Uganda, focusing on the transportation, market and textile sectors. Drawing on Guy Standing’s distinction between “business” and “community” unions and Benjamin Selwyn’s contrasting of “capital-centred development theory” (CCDT) and “labour-led development” (LLD), we argue that community unionist approaches are most effective in addressing the decent work deficit in the informal economy. Simultaneously, the trade unions face constant barriers to successful community organising in the informal economy that cannot be easily overcome without wider changes to the structural conditions under which union organisers must operate. KEYWORDS: Trade unionism; informal labour organising; labour-centred development; Uganda; decent work

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