In 2015, the ILO’s International Labour Conference adopted the Recommendation about the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy, the R204.

To help us understand what is the R204, what is the importance of it, what has been done until now and the challenges ahead, we will talk to Jane Barrett

Jane is WIEGO’s Organization and Representation programme director and she has been leading the R204 process at WIEGO in South Africa.

Resources
•	WIEGO’s perspective on “Formalizing the Informal Economy” http://www.wiego.org/formalization/formalizing-informal-economy

•	 WIEGO Network Platform: Transitioning from the Informal to the Formal Economy in the Interest of Workers in the Informal Economy: https://www.wiego.org/resources/wiego-network-platform-transitioning-informal-formal-economy-interest-workers-informal-eco 

•	WIEGO in the 2015 International Labour Conference on Facilitating Transitions from the Informal to the Formal Economy: https://www.wiego.org/content/international-labour-conference-2015 

•	Myths & Facts about the Informal Economy and Workers in the Informal Economy: https://www.wiego.org/resources/myths-facts-about-informal-economy-and-workers 

•	Informality and Illegality: Unpacking the Relationship: https://www.wiego.org/sites/wiego.org/files/resources/files/WIEGO-Informality-and-Illegality.pdf 

•	VIDEO: Organizing for Change: https://www.wiego.org/organizing/video-organizing-change-workers-informal-economy 

•	Read the ILO’s Recommendation 204: https://www.ilo.org/ilc/ILCSessions/previous-sessions/104/texts-adopted/WCMS_377774/lang--en/index.htm

*Our theme music is Focus from AA Aalto (Creative Commons)

#07 Formalizing The Informal - The R204 Process

Globally, 2 billion people work in the informal economy. This means that 61% of workers rely on work that offers little pay and few protections. Women informal workers, such as domestic workers, home-based workers, street vendors and waste pickers are at the base of the economic pyramid with the highest risk of poverty.  Public policies and social protection schemes often do not consider these  workers, leaving them vulnerable to income losses and struggling to cope after an event or shock. In this monthly podcast we will discuss some of the most pressing issues related to social protection from the perspective of informal workers, including debates around the future of work, demographic changes and the informal economy, as well as  social services, like child care and health that can protect informal workers’ incomes. Subscribe to the “Informal Economy Podcast: Social Protection” to learn more about WIEGO’s cutting-edge research and hear from informal workers organisations about the debates, policies, successes and challenges they face in accessing and reforming social protection systems.