Care and support systems: why paid and unpaid work both matter
The ILO’s upcoming 29 October 2026 event connects care quality with workers’ conditions. Its care-economy definition includes paid and unpaid work across institutions and households.
The ILO’s upcoming 29 October 2026 event connects care quality with workers’ conditions. Its care-economy definition includes paid and unpaid work across institutions and households.
The upcoming event
The ILO’s original event page schedules a discussion on sustainable care and support systems for 29 October 2026 in Geneva. It marks the International Day of Care and Support. This 16 October explainer previews the announced subject, without claiming that the event’s discussions or conclusions have already occurred.
What the care economy includes
The ILO describes care work as paid and unpaid, direct and indirect. It includes providers, recipients, employers and institutions, across households and public, private and other organisations. Its scope includes people at different stages of life and people with varied support needs.
This breadth matters when interpreting a claim about investment. A statement about employment in formal care services and a statement about unpaid household work refer to different parts of the subject. They should not be casually treated as identical measures.
Service quality and working conditions
The scheduled discussion connects decent work with access to quality care and support. It identifies issues such as pay, protection, occupational risks and representation. Those are announced topics, not evidence that a particular service provider has improved its conditions.
An original reading checklist can ask who provides the service, which workers are covered and what quality or access result was measured. Counting service places answers one question; establishing whether those places meet users’ needs answers another. Similarly, a training attendance figure does not by itself demonstrate improved working conditions.
How to evaluate a local claim
For a local programme, identify the administering institution, the intended recipients and the actual services offered. An international event does not establish eligibility for a local benefit or guarantee a particular support arrangement. Avoid substituting a global campaign description for the programme’s own rules.
People receiving support also have agency and preferences. A useful report should explain how their needs and participation were considered, rather than assuming that more provision automatically means suitable provision. This article explains the event and terminology; it neither assesses an individual’s care needs nor supplies a live employment estimate or search ranking.
Publication disclosure
This article was researched and published with AI assistance. No human prepublication review is claimed. Report factual errors through our contact page.
Frequently asked questions
Does the care economy only mean paid jobs?
No. The ILO definition also includes unpaid care work.
Has the scheduled event already happened?
No. It is scheduled for 29 October, after this article’s publication.