WIEGO's Social Protection to Informal Workers Initiative
The extension of social protection to informal workers is a major global policy concern highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Informal workers make up over 60 percent of the global workforce, representing two billion people, yet they are often excluded from all forms of social protection. This meant that when the crisis hit, only a minority of informal workers were able to access income support measures.
Our work focuses on producing research to support more inclusive social protection policies and programmes, as well as supporting organizations of informal workers to more effectively engage in global, regional and national level policy spaces, through research, advocacy and workers’ education.
In the next series of our podcast and briefing notes, we will start a building-block approach to mapping social protection, exploring topics such as financing, governance, registration and delivery. Subscribe to WIEGO's newsletter and to our podcast in your favourite player to check the new series.
Latest Research
Our latest social protection research project focuses on the economics of social protection; specifically challenging what we consider to be key economic orthodoxies which undermine the extension of universal social protection.
Hear more about our “Challenging the Economic Orthodoxies” project through our podcast.
Read our other latest pieces of research:
- The WIEGO Working Paper #47, on the The Relevance and Labour Market Impacts of Social Security Contributions
- The WIEGO Working Paper #46, on Mexico’s Seguro Popular Universal Health Coverage Programme
- The WIEGO Working Paper #45, on Taxation and Social Protection in Accra’s Informal Sector
- This report for the UNDP on Informality and Social Protection in African Countries: A Forward Looking Assessment
Policy Analysis and Engagements
WIEGO is an active member of various coalitions and platforms working on universal social protection. This includes the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, observer membership of the Social Protection Inter-Agency Cooperation Board (SPIAC-B), and the Universal Social Protection 2030 initiative. During 2020 and 2021 we also participated in the Social Protection Alternatives for Covid-19 Expert Advice (SPACE) group, providing advisory services to bilateral and multilateral institutions working to extend relief to informal workers.
- Watch StreetNet International's video What is the African Union Social Protection Protocol and why does it matter?
- Watch the webinar Is social protection to blame for informality? (also available in Spanish)
- Read our blog post The World Bank’s Push for Individual Savings Provides Little Protection for Crisis-hit Workers
- Find a summary of policy options for extending social protection to informal workers written with SPACE.
- In Southeast Asia we work to support policy engagements at regional level between organizations of informal workers and ASEAN.
- Read the report "Imagining Social Security for Domestic Workers: Analysis of the Status of Social Security Coverage for Domestic Workers in 15 Latin American Countries".
Mobilizing
WIEGO supports organizations of informal workers to build their capacity to work on social protection issues and to use social protection as a mobilizing and organization building tool. With StreetNet International, we are currently piloting on an online workers education course on social protection.
- Watch the Building Forward Better: Investing in Africa's Workers video, produced by ITUC and WIEGO, about tax justice and inclusive recovery (also available in French and Portuguese).
- Read the Position Paper on Extending Social Protection to Workers in the Informal Economy, developed with worker organizations for the 109th International Labour Conference.
- Working with StreetNet International we provided an analysis of worker-driven social protection schemes in Africa.
- Learn more about the exchange visit in Kenya of StreetNet affiliates, in this video on their learnings about State-sponsored social protection
Contact: Laura Alfers, Social Protection Programme Director, laura.alfers@wiego.org
Other Resources
Don’t forget to check in on our regular Social Protection briefing notes and podcast for latest news and information.