Global Care Economy Gains Momentum: ILO – Mexico Business News

Report on the Global Care Economy and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: The Care Economy as a Foundation for Sustainable Development

A collaborative assessment by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and UN Women has underscored the critical role of the care economy in achieving sustainable and inclusive growth. The organizations report that care work, both paid and unpaid, is fundamental to the functioning of all societies and economies. However, its significant contribution remains undervalued and its burdens are inequitably distributed, posing a direct challenge to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Economic and Social Impact: Advancing SDG 5 and SDG 8

The current state of the care economy presents significant barriers to gender equality and economic progress, directly impacting key SDG targets.

• SDG 5 (Gender Equality): The ILO reports that hundreds of millions of women are excluded from the formal labor market and leadership positions due to a disproportionate share of unpaid care responsibilities. This systemic imbalance perpetuates gender inequality.
• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): Strategic investment in the care sector offers substantial economic returns. Projections indicate that such investments could generate up to 299 million jobs by 2035 and yield a global GDP return of US$3.76 for every dollar invested, thereby promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth.

International Cooperation and Policy Strategies for SDG Attainment

A multi-stakeholder dialogue involving representatives from South Africa, Mexico, Bangladesh, and Moldova, alongside UN agencies and civil society, focused on developing comprehensive policy strategies. The discussions highlighted the importance of partnerships in achieving global goals, as outlined in SDG 17.

1. Financing and International Cooperation (SDG 17): Strategies were shared to enhance financing for care and strengthen international cooperation, including integrating care into broader agendas such as climate action, migration, and humanitarian response.
2. Inclusive Service Delivery (SDG 10): A primary objective is to expand access to care and support services while ensuring systems are responsive to gender, age, and disability needs, thereby reducing inequalities.
3. Promoting Decent Work (SDG 8 & SDG 3): A key focus is on improving working conditions for care providers to ensure decent work and protect the well-being of the care workforce.

Private Sector Engagement and Workforce Development

The private sector’s role in professionalizing the care economy was emphasized. Louise Høj of the Confederation of Danish Employers identified the care sector as one of the fastest-growing segments of the global economy. Key recommendations include:

• Investment in Skills: Essential investment in upskilling and reskilling is required to maintain high-quality care standards, contributing to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).
• Professionalization: Employers’ organizations are actively working to professionalize the sector through targeted training and awareness initiatives, aligning with the principles of SDG 8.

ILO Framework and Strategic Actions

The ILO has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing care policies that promote decent work and gender equality, guided by its 2024 Resolution concerning Decent Work and the Care Economy and its 2024–2030 Plan of Action. Key strategic initiatives include:

1. Building capacity among member states to implement effective care policies.
2. Launching the South-4-Care Platform to strengthen South–South and Triangular Cooperation, directly supporting SDG 17.
3. Convening a Tripartite Meeting of Experts on Paternity and Parental Protection.
4. Developing new global statistical standards to accurately measure the economic contribution of care work.

Conclusion and Call to Action

Sukti Dasgupta, Director at the ILO, acknowledged the significant progress made in 2025 while highlighting persistent barriers. A call for decisive action was issued, focusing on three priority areas to accelerate progress towards the SDGs:

1. Increase Investment: Substantially increase public and private investment in care infrastructure and services.
2. Foster Social Dialogue (SDG 17): Promote robust dialogue between governments, employers, and workers’ organizations to co-create effective policies.
3. Implement Rights-Based Policies (SDG 5 & SDG 8): Ensure that all care policies are rooted in international labor standards to guarantee a rights-based approach that advances gender equality and decent work for all.

Analysis of SDGs in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • The article extensively discusses how unpaid care responsibilities disproportionately affect women, leading to their exclusion from the labor market and leadership roles. This directly addresses the core theme of gender inequality and the need to empower women economically.
2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • The article frames the care economy as a major driver of economic growth and job creation, projecting the creation of 299 million jobs. It also emphasizes the ILO’s commitment to ensuring “decent work” and “better working conditions for care providers,” which is a central tenet of SDG 8.
3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • By highlighting that care work is “unevenly distributed” and that systems need to be more responsive to “gender, age, and disability needs,” the article addresses the reduction of inequalities. Tackling the gender imbalance in care work is a key step toward creating more equitable societies.
4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • The article showcases collaboration between multiple UN agencies (ILO, OHCHR, UN Women), governments (South Africa, Mexico, etc.), employers’ organizations, and civil society. It also explicitly mentions strengthening “South–South and Triangular Cooperation” through the South-4-Care Platform, which is a key aspect of building partnerships for sustainable development.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies.
   • The article’s central theme is that care work, “both paid and unpaid,” remains “undervalued.” The call for increased investment in care and the development of policies to support the care economy directly aligns with this target’s goal of recognizing and valuing care work.
2. Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value.
   • The article connects investment in care to the creation of “up to 299 million jobs by 2035.” Furthermore, the ILO’s resolution concerning “Decent Work and the Care Economy” and the call for “better working conditions for care providers” directly support the objective of achieving decent work for all.
3. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
   • The article states that “hundreds of millions of women continue to be excluded from the labor market and leadership roles due to unpaid care responsibilities.” By advocating for policies that alleviate this burden, the article supports the goal of promoting the economic inclusion of women. The mention of making systems responsive to “age, and disability needs” also aligns with this target.
4. Target 17.9: Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries… including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation.
   • This target is directly addressed through the mention of specific initiatives like “capacity building among member states” and the “launch of the South-4-Care Platform in Doha to strengthen South–South and Triangular Cooperation.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Implied Indicator for Target 5.4 (related to Indicator 5.4.1): Measurement of time spent on unpaid care work.
   • The article states that the ILO is “developing new global statistical standards to better measure care work and its economic contribution.” This initiative is a direct effort to create the data needed to track progress on valuing and understanding the distribution of unpaid care work, which is the essence of Indicator 5.4.1 (Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work).
2. Implied Indicator for Target 8.5: Number of jobs created in the care economy.
   • The article provides a specific, measurable projection that “investing in care could create up to 299 million jobs by 2035.” This figure serves as a quantifiable indicator of progress toward achieving productive employment through the care sector.
3. Implied Indicator for Economic Growth (SDG 8): Economic return on investment in the care sector.
   • The article quantifies the economic impact of investing in care by stating it could “generate a global GDP return of US$3.76 for every dollar invested.” This provides a clear metric for measuring the economic contribution of the care economy to overall growth.

Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: mexicobusiness.news