ETF konzentriert sich auf informelle Wirtschaft

In einigen Partnerländern der European Training Foundation (ETF) arbeiten rund 80 Prozent der Beschäftigten in der informellen Wirtschaft. Das ist mit Armut, Ungleichheit und Verletzlichkeit der betroffenen Menschen verbunden. Bildung und Ausbildung sind Wege, die den Menschen aus der informellen Wirtschaft heraus helfen können. Die ETF will sich künftig mehr mit diesem Thema beschäftigen.

 

ETF to focus more on informal economy

 

As much as 80% of employees in some ETF partner countries work in the informal economy. The ETF will work more to identify measures to address informality through education, training and labour market policies.

 

Consequences of informal employment

 

Informality affects the quality of work and the adequate functioning of labour markets. It is linked to poverty, inequality and vulnerability. Skills development can help people come out cycle of poverty generated by informality through increasing employability, productivity and job opportunities. That's why the workers in the informal economy may need access to information, relevant skills or specialized support.

 

Large informal economies in ETF partner countries

 

The ETF partner countries are highly affected by informality. Informal employment in the ETF partner countries ranges from more than 20% in the south eastern Europe to 80% in Morocco and some southern eastern Mediterranean countries.

 

Need for policy measures in skills development

 

Taking into account the importance of the informal economy and informal employment in the ETF partner countries, ETF wants to understand better the nexus between informality and skills development.

Specific issues include

 

• skill formation processes within the informal economy,
• skills-related approaches that facilitate mobility of workers from the informal to formal economy or employment,
• skills related actions that facilitate the shift of informal low productivity production units into higher levels of productivity.

 

The aim is for ETF to identify an approach (or approaches) to address informality through education, training and labour market policies in the partner countries.

The issue of informality has been the subject of a seminar organized by the ETF's community of practice on employment in Turin on 29 November 2013.

Richard Walther, an international expert, shared his knowledge with ETF staff and helped reflect on the subject. In 2014, the ETF with deepen the analysis on the topic to provide relevant policy support to partner countries.