Special Issue on Unorganized WorkersThe Indian Journal of Industrial Relations

The informal economy has always existed in India, but it was seen neither as an important part of the economy, nor as a theoretical category that needed to be developed and explored. Although, the term “informal sector” was adopted internationally by the ILO in the mid-1970s, it retreated to the margins of both research and policies, until only a little over a decade ago. In 2002, the International Labor Conference finally debated a recommendation, which coined the term “informal economy”, and recognized both self employed and wage workers to be part of this economy. It also recognized the unprotected and insecure nature of work in this economy and committed the ILO to working towards social security and various forms of protection of these workers.