INTRODUCTION
Informal employment is extensive, currently comprising more than half of the global workforce. Workers in the informal economy often face significant decent work deficits, including the denial of rights at work, insufficient opportunities for quality employment, inadequate social protection and the absence of social dialogue. To address these challenges, informal economy workers increasingly rely on cooperatives and other social and solidarity economy (SSE) entities. These entities aim to enhance employment opportunities and livelihoods, promote democratic governance in the workplace and foster solidarity and social dialogue.
The contribution of cooperatives and other SSE entities to the transition from the informal to the formal economy is acknowledged in the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy Recommendation, 2015 (No. 204) and its resolution concerning decent work and the social and solidarity economy, 2022.
