There is No Recovery Without Informal Workers: Towards a Better Deal for the Global Working Poor
- July 12, 2021
- Online
Date: Monday 12 July
Time: 9.30 a.m. – 11 a.m. EDT
Languages: English, with French, Spanish and Thai translation available
Launch of global study findings
This webinar served to launch global findings for the WIEGO-led COVID-19 Crisis and the Informal Economy study, funded by the IDRC. Panelists including researchers, practitioners and representatives of informal workers exposed:
- how the pandemic was impacting different categories of workers in cities across the world—home-based workers, domestic workers, street vendors and market traders, and waste pickers;
- the varied impacts of COVID-19 based on occupations and gender, and how these findings should inform policies for economic recovery; and
- what had changed more than one year into the pandemic and what national and municipal governments are doing right—and wrong—to support economic recovery in the informal economy.
Informal work accounts for over 60% of all global employment and 90% of employment in developing countries, the International Labour Organization reported in 2018. While the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on informal workers is widely acknowledged, the distinct pathways of impacts and the recovery needs of this diverse global workforce are not sufficiently understood. As a result, policies to promote recovery risk exacerbating existing inequalities and leaving up to 2 billion informal workers behind.
Panelists
- Marty Chen (Co-Founder & Senior Advisor, WIEGO)
- Manop Kaewphaka (President of Federation of Informal Workers Thailand)
- Gloria Solorzano (Leader of Red Nacional de Trabajadoras y Trabajadores Autoempleados (RENATTA), Peru)
- Carmen Roca (Coordinator for Focal City Lima, WIEGO)
- Poonsap Tulaphan (Director of HomeNet Thailand)
- Sally Roever (International Coordinator, WIEGO)
The panel was moderated by Erin Tansey, Director, Sustainable Inclusive Economies, IDRC.
The event launched WIEGO’s Global Summary of Round 1 Findings and WIEGO Working Paper: Distinct Pathways of Impact and Recovery.
