Description:

Although home workers play a significant role in the economy, their working conditions are far from satisfactory. Similar to what other workers in the informal economy face, home workers tend to be excluded from social protection systems and deprived of potential benefits because they are often covered only under voluntary programs by virtue of their status as self-employed . They do not have the protection, legal rights and benefits enjoyed by other regular workers and have no access to support or social services. They often work long hours, and are paid very low wages, have no security of tenure and have no say in the aspect of job order.

As compared to other sections of the informal sector like street vendors, and manual labourers, home-based workers often earn much less. Despite the fact that many home-based workers, particularly those in sectors like crafts and weaving can be considered as skilled workers.

To address these issues, one of the priorities under the LEP is the ratification of ILO Convention No. 177 as homeworker which set the minimum international labor standards for Home Workers. A key step in building on this effort is the generation of the needed data on the working conditions of Home workers which remains to be very limited up to this date.

The limited baseline data on homeworkers is recognized as one of the issues which must be addressed in order to effectively formulate and carry out relevant policies and programs for this group of workers. Without baseline data on the total number of homeworkers and their working conditions, it is difficult for the Philippine government to support the ratification of convention 177. Thus, there is a need to come up with a description of the working conditions of homeworkers to help the government in making the necessary decisions on the specific provisions of the Convention.

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Title: Study on the Working Conditions of Homeworkers 

Researcher: Marie A. Mandangan