Extending work-related social protection to informal workers in Pakistan’s Punjab province

Summary of a scoping study by Martina Bergthaller

In Pakistan, the Support to Social Protection - Social Health Protection (SP-SHP) project undertook a scoping study to analyse how work-related social protection could be extended to informal workers – over half of the actual workforce – in the province of Punjab.

Writer:
Dr. Mary White Kaba

Work-related social protection schemes are an important investment in inclusive economic growth. However, in most developing countries and emerging economies a large part of the active workforce – informal workers – have no such coverage. An example is Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, whose informal workers are the backbone of its economy, contributing to global supply chains, yet their work-related risks and contingencies are not covered by any social protection mechanisms. 

The study’s main observations and recommendations are summarised on 16 pages.