The care economy has moved to centre stage in global policy agendas. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing gender inequalities in the labour market and the imbalance between women and men regarding unpaid housework and care work. These additional demands on women forced many to quit paid work altogether, making their re-entry into the labour market more challenging as economies and societies recover from the pandemic. Regarding care as a sector, according to the ILO Care work report, the global care work-force represents 11.5 per cent of total global employment, and it is estimated that increasing investment in the care economy to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will result in a total of 475 million jobs by 2030. The global care workforce includes care workers in various sectors such as education, health and social work, domestic workers and non-care workers in care sectors, who support care service provision. Overall, care workers remain some of the most vulnerable workers in the global economy. This situation has exposed the urgent need to address the unequal share of unpaid care work between women and men and between families, communities, the market and the State, with a significant regulatory role, beyond provision. Investing in frameworks of transformative care policies with quality care jobs benefits all workers, children, businesses, societies, and the planet. Through this capacity-development programme, participants will explore how to successfully promote decent work in care work and enable a more balanced sharing of family responsibilities. The course includes live virtual sessions with international experts and self-guided online modules, covering strategies and tools to identify transformative policies in care work and the care economy, with a strong focus on international labour standards.
Representatives from Ministries of Labour, Gender Equality and Social Policies fields, Social partners, academics, Equal opportunities Units, Associations of domestic workers, long-term care workers, nursing personnel, and persons interested in care work and the care economy.
In this learning journey, you will be taken through four modules. Main topics include:
In particular, this course will allow participants to:
Become more familiar with the care economy by understanding:
Analyse and plan:
Promote and communicate on:
Investing in care is key for the recovery of economies. Through this course, you will be able to:
This interactive course is designed for ILO’s constituents, as well as persons directly involved in care work, social dialogue and conciliation of working and private life, representatives from Ministries of Labour, Gender Equality and Social Policies fields, social partners, academics, Equal opportunities Units, Associations of domestic workers, long-term care workers, nursing personnel, and persons interested in care work and the care economy in general.
A limited number of fellowships are available to qualified candidates coming from eligible countries.
As an Organization dedicated to promoting social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights, the ILO is taking a leading role in international efforts to foster gender equality. In line with this ILO focus, women are particularly encouraged to apply to ITCILO courses.