The International Labour Organization (ILO) has said that integrating care services into public investment strategies could generate up to 299 million decent jobs by 2035, with nearly 80% of these roles likely to benefit women.
In its latest policy brief titled Employment-Intensive Investments for Advancing Decent Work in the Care Economy, the ILO highlights how targeted infrastructure and employment investments in sectors such as childcare and health can address both the global care crisis and labour market inequality.
“Infrastructure spending shouldn’t just build roads—it should build futures through decent work,” said Mito Tsukamoto, head of the ILO’s Employment-Intensive Investment Programme.
The brief recommends several strategies for advancing employment through the care economy. These include supporting workers with caregiving responsibilities by providing paid leave, implementing flexible work schedules, and ensuring access to onsite childcare services. It also emphasises the need to develop care infrastructure using labour-based methods that prioritise local employment, thereby fostering economic inclusion. Furthermore, it calls for the formal recognition of unpaid or informal care work, ensuring fair wages and extending social protection to those engaged in such roles.
According to the ILO, every US$1 invested in closing childcare policy gaps could yield as much as US$3.76 in global GDP by 2035, while boosting women’s employment rates by more than 10%.
The brief also spotlights how countries such as South Africa, Argentina and Rwanda have successfully incorporated care services into their public employment programmes, making them more responsive to local needs and significantly more gender-inclusive.
Chidi King, Director of the ILO’s Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Branch, said that incorporating the ILO’s 5R Framework—recognition, reduction, redistribution, reward, and representation—into care-related investments will help close gender gaps in the labour market while promoting decent work outcomes for women globally.
This report forms part of the ILO’s ongoing Care Economy Brief series and contributes to broader efforts to drive inclusive employment and social protection through labour-based infrastructure policies.
