Formal work, Decent work

Social Dialogue for Formalization and Employability in the Southern Neighbourhood Region

Formal work, Decent work

Social Dialogue for Formalization and Employability in the Southern Neighbourhood Region

About Solifem

The Social Dialogue for Formalization and Employability in the Southern Neighbourhood (SOLIFEM peoject) is a 3-year regional project, implemented by the International Labour Organization…

The International Labour Organization (ILO) offers a comprehensive distance learning course on informality and formalization. This course aims to train ILO constituents and partners on the ILO approach to formalization of the informal economy, which affects over half of the global labor force and more than 90% of micro, small, and medium enterprises worldwide.

The course is divided into three modules: the transition from informality to formality, formalization of informal enterprises, and extending social protection to informal workers and enterprises.

The course takes around 6 hours and participants can complete the modules at their own pace. Upon successful completion, participants are awarded a digital certificate.

Newsroom

SOLIFEM regional capacity building and experience sharing workshop: Enhancing capacity for social dialogue and formalization

A regional capacity-building workshop on “International experiences and emerging good practices in the region on social dialogue for formalization” from 26 to 29 August, 2024. The workshop was organized in partnership with and held at the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO) in Turin, Italy

The workshop aimed to enhance the capacity of ILO constituents of Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), Jordan and Morocco to transition from the informal to the formal economy. It focused on strengthening social dialogue for formalization by drawing on international experiences and showcasing emerging regional practices, including those developed through SOLIFEM’s initiatives. It also provided an opportunity for the constituents from the SOLIFEM focus countries to share their experiences with representatives from two other countries in the Southern Neighbourhood region, Jordan and Morocco.

 

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

Weak educational systems, skills mismatches, non-existent or ineffective labour-market information systems and a lack of career-planning resources, and a mismatch between the expectations of educated job seekers and the wages and prestige of available jobs, have left young people inadequately prepared to enter the labour market.

There are, however, some significant differences between the countries.

Algeria

Workshop on the strategic plan of CGEA: Enhancing employer involvement in the governance and development of skills systems

Egypt

A workshop to present the main findings of the guidance note “Leveraging sustainability pathways to accelerate formalization and the role of companies in mitigating informality.” 

Lebanon

The SOLIFEM CTA joined the ILO Regional Officer for Arab States (ROAS) team for a meeting with …

 

Palestine

A similar workshop for the FPCCIA with 15 participants was held in February 2022, which aimed to …

 

INFORMALITY & FORMALIZATION

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), between 42 % and 67 % of workers in the Southern Neighbourhood countries are in the informal economy.

Although in certain countries, such as Lebanon, the rate of informal employment is significantly lower among the wealthier segments of the population, in many countries informality remains significant even among this group.

SOCIAL DIALOGUE

For the countries of the Southern Neighbourhood Region, there is a need to promote formal and permanent mechanisms for social dialogue that address the concerns of all employers’ and workers’, including those in the informal economy.

The ILO Convention (No. 142) calls for the cooperation of social partners in vocational guidance and training policies and programmes, while Recommendation No. 195 focuses on the importance of Human Resources.

Contact :

Ms Samia Archella

Project Technical Officer

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