The UN’s labour agency (ILO) called on Wednesday for greater recognition and protection for the hundreds of millions of
people who work from home, accounting for almost eight per cent of the global workforce even before the COVID-19
pandemic.
Since movement restrictions linked to the global spread of the virus were implement in many countries, the number of
people working from home has increased sharply, and that trend is expected to continue in coming years, despite the
rollout of vaccines that began in late 2020.Drop in wages in rich and poor countries
According to a new ILO report, many of these “invisible” workers experience poor working conditions, face greater health and safety risks, and lack
access to training, which can affect their career prospects. They are also likely to earn less than their counterparts
who work outside the home, even in higher-skilled professions.
“Homeworkers earn on average 13 per cent less in the United Kingdom; 22 per cent less in the United States; 25 per cent
less in South Africa; and about 50 per cent in Argentina, India and Mexico”, ILO said in a news release on Wednesday.
The report, “Working from home. From invisibility to decent work”, also showed that homeworkers do not have the same level of social protection as other workers, and are less likely to
be part of a trades union or to be covered by a collective bargaining agreement.
Homeworkers include teleworkers who work remotely on a continual basis, and a vast number of workers who are involved in
the production of goods that cannot be automated, such as embroidery, handicrafts, and electronic assembly. A third
category, digital platform workers, provide services, such as processing insurance claims, copy-editing, or cutting edge
specializations such as data annotation for the training of artificial intelligence systems.Growth likely to continue
According to ILO estimates, prior to COVID-19, there were approximately 260 million home-based workers globally, representing 7.9 per cent of global employment.
However, in the first few months of the pandemic, an estimated one-in-five workers found themselves working from home.
Data for the whole of 2020, once available, is expected to show a “substantial increase” over the previous year, said
the agency.
The ILO predicts that the growth of homeworking is likely to continue and take on greater importance in the coming
years, bringing renewed urgency to the need to address the issues facing homeworkers and their employers.Poorly regulated
At the same time, homeworking is often poorly regulated, with little compliance with existing laws, and homeworkers
usually classified as independent contractors, which means that they are excluded from the scope of labour legislation.
In response, ILO outlined clear recommendations to make working from home “more visible and thus better protected”.
Industrial homeworkers should be made part of the formal economy, given legal and social protection, and made aware of
their rights, ILO urged. Similarly, teleworkers should have a “right to disconnect”, to ensure the boundaries between
working life and private life are respected.
The report also urges governments to work closely with workers’ and employers’ organizations, to ensure that all
homeworkers move from invisibility to decent work, “whether they are weaving rattan in Indonesia, making shea butter in
Ghana, tagging photos in Egypt, sewing masks in Uruguay, or teleworking in France”.