Low-paid workers: Who are they? What policies are working?

Concerns about low-paid workers and possible policy options have been increasing in many parts of the world, both industrialized and developing countries. Often, economic growth itself is not enough to reduce the incidence of low pay, especially as the benefits of economic growth are not equally distributed and as a result the pay gaps are widening. While these concerns have prompted much research in industrialized countries so as to identify viable policy options, information and research are scant in developing countries where the need for policy actions is much stronger. Quality information and analysis of low pay is much more needed in the context of the global economic recession. How these low-paid workers have been faring is of critical importance for economic recovery and labour market stabilization. It is also clear that the policy focus should be placed on these vulnerable workers, while even basic information on the extent and characteristics of these workers is not readily available in developing countries. This project investigates the extent and nature of low-paid workers in developing countries and identify what polices would be helpful in improving the working lives of these workers. In doing so, this project is intended to contribute to developing global policy responses to the issues of low pay. The results of this research project will be published in various formats to ensure wide dissemination for various audiences, including policy makers, social partners and researchers. They will also be an important input to ILO’s flagship report, Global wage Report (scheduled for November 2010). Finally, the project findings will serve as a much-needed information basis for social dialogue and policy developments.

Project symbol

GLO/09/12/ROK

Admin unit

TRAVAIL

Start date

01/12/2009

End date

31/07/2011

Total allocation

99621

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

99621

Development Partners

Republic of Korea, Ministry of Labour

Country/Countries

Global

Outcomes

Working Conditions