The International Labour Organisation Elects Gilbert F. Houngbo as New Director General

Mr Houngbo, from Togo and the first African Director-General of the ILO, has promised to concentrate on workers’ issues from the developing countries. The ILO has just issued a report which shows that more than 60% of the world’s adult labour force – about 2 billion workers – work in the informal economy. As the Report points out “They are not recognised, registered, regulated, or protected under labour legislation and social protection. The consequences can be severe, for individuals, families as well as economies.” Despite major efforts over the years, there are few signs of the informal economy shrinking in size. The COVID lockdown has in fact increased the number of informal workers, especially in the “gig economy”. Many informal workers are engaged by SMEs.