The 3rd Academy on SSEAgadir, 8 April 2013Roberto Di Meglio, ILO

The Social and Solidarity Economy and Decent work

• Decent Work: a definition• Social and Solidarity Economy: principles, actors

and data• Youth Employment and Decent Work: data• Youth Employment through Social and Solidarity

Economy

Content

What is meant by Decent Work?

“Decent work sums up the aspirations of people in their working lives. It involves opportunities for work that are productive and deliver a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and men.”

“

1. Rights at work, in particular the fundamental principles and

rights at work;

2. Employment, livelihoods and income;

3. Social security and working conditions;

4. Social dialogue between governments, workers and employers

Four Pillars

“Convinced that in a world of growing interdependence and complexity and the

internationalization of production: (...) productive, profitable and sustainable enterprises,

together with a strong social economy and a viable public sector, are critical to sustainable

economic development and employment opportunities”

Declaration on Social Justice for a fair Globalization (2008)

The Social and Solidarity Economy: many different terms….

Social Economy

Solidarity Economy

Community Economy

Popular Economy

Social and Solidarity Economy

Social Enterprise

Social Economy

EnterprisesThird

Sector

Non-Profit Sector

recognize the primacy of people

and work over capital

are built on the principles of

solidarity, mutuality,

reciprocity, cooperation and

proximity

seek to simultaneously achieve social,

societal, economic and environmental

benefits

are based on voluntary

participation, member

empowerment and peoples’ commitment

… but common characteristicsSocial Economy entities differ from other forms of enterprises

and social organizations in that they:

Five Families

Cooperatives

Mutual societies

AssociationsFoundations

Social enterprises

TEN FACTS ON SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY

Clicker questions

Worldwide, there are 750.000 cooperative societies with one billion individual member-households and

1. 10 million employees 2. 100 million employees 3. 500 million employees

The OECD estimates that1. 5% 2. 10%3. 25%

of the citizens of the European Union are directly related to the Social Economy, be it as producers or as consumers, savers, tenants, insured, students or volunteers

Micro health insurance schemes: in French speaking Africa, some 336 schemes with

1. 71.000 2. 1.7 million3. 5.7 million

beneficiaries have been established.

At the European level, the SSE represents approximately 1. 3 %2. 6 %3. 8 %of total employment

Worldwide, there are 750.000 cooperative societies with one billion individual member-households and 100 million employees.

The 300 largest cooperatives in the world accumulate a combined turnover of 1.1 trillion US-$ per year

The OECD estimates that 25% of the citizens of the European Union are directly related to the Social Economy, be it as producers or as consumers, savers, tenants, insured, students or volunteers

Micro health insurance schemes: in French speaking Africa, some 336 schemes with 1.7 million beneficiaries have been established.

53,000 credit unions with 188 million members from 100 countries organized in the World Council of Credit Unions are supported and manage 1.5 trillion US-$ in assets.

Ten facts on Social and Solidarity Economy

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At the European level, the SSE represents approximately 10 per cent of all European companies (approximately 2 million undertakings) and 6 per cent of total employment

Data (CEPES and LEGACOOP) shows that during the crisis started in 2008, the social economy sector has created new jobs in Italy, while in Spain it lost fewer jobs than in the traditional private sector

Many governements have recently approved new and innovative legal frameworks and policies on SSE (Brasil, France, Mexico, Spain). In Cameroun, Mali and South Africa the issue is on the public policy debate

In Argentina, well over 10.000 jobs have been saved through the establishment of 130 worker-owned “empresas recuperadas”( transformation of bankrupt private or public enterprises into worker-owned cooperatives)

7.100 social cooperatives in Italy provide work to 223.000 employees and 24,000 disadvantaged people undergoing integration

Ten facts on Social and Solidarity Economy

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• Social economy organizations and enterprises can create Decent Work;

• Social economy enterprises and organizations can make existing work more decent.

Social economy and Decent Work

TEN FACTS ON THE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT CRISIS

Clicker questions

1. 10 %2. 20 %3. 40 %of the world’s unemployed are young people

On average, young people are nearly1. Two2. Three3. Four

times more likely to be unemployed than adults

Young women face1. more 2. less3. similar

difficulties than young man

Young people are 1. more prone to unemployment and under

employment2. more prone to unemployment, under

employment and informality3. more prone to unemployment, under

employment, informality and discouragement

than other groups

There are over 1.2 billion people in the world between 15 and 24 years of age

Forty per cent of the world’s unemployed are young people

On average, young people are nearly three times more likely to be unemployed than adults

Young women face more difficulties than young man

More than 220 million young workers are working poor

Ten facts on the youth employment crisis

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Most young workers in developing countries are in the informal economy

There is an increasing incidence of non-standards jobs among youth

The transition from school to work is becoming increasingly difficult

Young people are more prone to unemployment, under employment, informality and discouragement than other groups

Youth are increasingly discouraged. The number of youth neither in employment nor in education or training is growing

Ten facts on the youth employment crisis

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Decent Work Deficits

• Work in the informal economy is often characterized by– small or undefined workplaces– unsafe and unhealthy working conditions– low levels of skills and productivity– low or irregular incomes– long working hours– lack of access to information, markets, finance,

training and technology.

Informal Economy and Decent Work

“To promote decent work, it is necessary to eliminate the negative aspects of informality while at the same time ensuring that opportunities for livelihood and entrepreneurship are not destroyed, and promoting the protection and incorporation of workers and economic units in the informal economy into the mainstream economy”

Conclusions concerning decent work and the informal economy, 90th Session of the ILC, June 2002

The Social Economy as a BridgeBetween

informal and formal

Between rural and

urban

Between local and

global

Between society and

governments

Between individuals and society

OUR “COLLECTIVE BRAIN” ON SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY

WWW.ITCILO.ORG/SOCIALECONOMY