Informal Economy
Informal Economy-The informal economy is the assortment of unregulated and unprotected economic activities, businesses, jobs, and workers. Originally, the concept applied to self-employment in unregistered small businesses. It has been expanded to include unprotected wage employment.
Ending the “Shadow Economy” Myth
Typically, the informal economy is stigmatised as “illegal,” “underground,” “black market,” or “grey market.” It is frequently referred to as the “shadow economy” and considered illegal or unethical.
The generalisation is inappropriate. The vast majority of informal workers struggle against formidable odds to earn an honest living. Instead of working in the shadows, a large number of people work in public spaces and contribute significantly to communities and economies.
How big is the informal economy?
The vast majority of the global labour force is informal.
In 2018, the International Labour Organization published the first-ever estimates of the world’s informal labour force: 61 percent of the world’s workers are employed in the informal economy.
More About the Informal Economy
Since its “discovery” in the early 1970s, the informal economy and its role in economic development have been the subject of intense discussion. History & Debates provides a brief overview of the [informal economy] and its subsequent debates and dominant schools of thought.
In recent decades, the expansion of statistics on the [informal economy] has shed light on the size and significance of the informal workforce – 2 billion workers worldwide. Visit the Statistics section for information, details, and analysis.
The informal economy is expanding in a variety of contexts, manifesting itself in new locations and guises.
It contributes significantly to the global economy and, if supported, to the reduction of poverty and inequality.
However, the informal economy does not provide a “cushion” in times of economic crisis. Poverty & Growth Connections investigates these interrelated topics.
Professional Group
The Occupational Groups report details the size, contributions, and working conditions of some of the most significant groups of [informal economy] workers. (Not every worker fits neatly into a single occupational category.
Unofficial economy: a perilous endeavor
Across all economic sectors – agriculture, industry, and services – the most hazardous jobs, conditions, and circumstances are frequently performed by [informal economy] workers.
Typically, informal sector units are small-scale, employing primarily unpaid and unorganized workers in precarious work processes and labor arrangements, and are largely unregulated and unregistered, thus falling outside of state regulations and control, including those pertaining to occupational safety and health and social protection.
Also lacking are the necessary knowledge, technical means, and resources to implement OSH measures. Preventive measures to reduce workplace risks, such as OSH management systems and a general safety culture, rarely reach the [informal economy].
Dangers of the Informal Economy
- Most workers in the [informal economy] are in a precarious position due to their high-risk exposure and low social protection coverage.
- Although not everyone in the [informal economy] is poor, a significant proportion of the poor are in the informal economy, and because they are poor, the occupational risks are exacerbating by factors such as unstable housing, poor nutrition, lack of access to potable water and sanitary facilities, and lack of basic health services.
- For many informal sector workers, their residence and workplace are the same location. Therefore, disease susceptibility and poor health are the result of undesirable living and working conditions.
- It is a well-establishing fact that gender inequality is more prevalent in the [informal economy], where women are concentrating at the bottom and earn considerably less than men.
- In addition, child labour and forced labour are most prevalent and difficult to eradicate in the [informal economy].
Also Read: Knowledge Economy
