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To develop a comprehensive framework for protection of the global workforce in the care economy and respond to the emerging challenges in the sector, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is gearing up to hold a discussion on the care economy in its upcoming annual conference next month.
India along with 186 other countries will deliberate on strategies to further enhance the understanding of the care economy and promote recognition of the care economy to decent work and social justice during the 12-day 112th International Labour Conference to be held in Geneva from June 3.
The move to hold discussion on the issue by the global tripartite organisation comes on the back of the critical role that healthcare and medical services staff played during the Covid pandemic.
Care work is loosely defined as workers engaged in the education, health and social work sectors, domestic workers and individuals who perform unpaid care work and it is critical for sustained economic development and decent work.
Following the discussions, member countries, including India, are expected to develop their national policies for promotion of care workers against discrimination, aligning them with the international standards. According to a preliminary technical brief by the ILO, countries should focus on aligning their policies to recognise, reduce and redistribute unpaid care work, while at the same time promoting decent work for the workers.
According to ILO’s own estimates, global employment in care and related jobs could grow to 358 million by 2030 from 206 million in 2015. If sufficient investment is made to meet the SDGs, this figure could grow to 475 million. In India alone, an additional 22.74 million workers need to be recruited to meet the 2030 national health and education policy targets.
The technical brief by the ILO also notes that tripartism and social dialogue are fundamental to generating the political will to explore all possible fiscal space options to scale up public investments in care.
“Public investment in care varies by country and by type. Public investment ranges from over 8 per cent of GDP in Denmark and Sweden to less than 1 per cent in South Africa, Mexico, Turkey, India and Indonesia,” the report notes.
The report also notes that globally, an estimated 606 million working age women are outside the workforce due to caring responsibilities and social reproduction, with the non-availability of paid care services having a significant impact on women’s access to decent work and productive employment, as it compromises their opportunities to engage on an equal basis in paid work or income-generating activities.
