EU Campaign Promotes Declared Work to Tackle Informal Employment

The European Labour Authority (ELA) has launched a new communication campaign highlighting the benefits of declared work, reinforcing international efforts to combat informal employment and strengthen labour rights across Europe.

Launched on 16 February 2026, the campaign promotes the message that "declared work benefits all"—workers, employers and society—by ensuring fair labour standards, legal certainty and stronger social protection systems.

Declared work supports rights, businesses and public systems

According to ELA, formal employment provides clear advantages for multiple stakeholders.

For workers, declared employment ensures access to labour rights, social security benefits and safer working conditions.

For employers, it creates a level playing field by promoting fair competition, legal certainty and sustainable business development.

At the societal level, formal employment strengthens public finances and social protection systems, helping governments maintain resilient welfare programmes.

Strengthening cooperation with the ILO

The campaign comes amid growing cooperation between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the European Labour Authority to address informality and promote the transition to formal employment.

In December 2025, the two institutions jointly organized a workshop at the International Training Centre of the ILO in Turin, Italy, focusing on improving the measurement of informality and undeclared work.

The event brought together experts from European Union Member States and other regions to share policy approaches and discuss methodological challenges in tracking informal economic activity.

Participants also examined how better data can support more effective labour market policies and enforcement strategies.

New global framework for measuring the informal economy

The Turin workshop built on the statistical resolution adopted at the 21st International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) in 2023, which introduced a new framework for measuring the informal economy.

The resolution provides, for the first time, a comprehensive statistical definition of the informal economy, expanding the scope of previous standards.

It also highlights the overlap between informal economic activities and undeclared work, helping policymakers better understand the scale and nature of informal employment.

Supporting transition from informal to formal employment

The promotion of declared work aligns with the ILO's Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy Recommendation, 2015 (No. 204), which encourages governments to adopt policies that gradually formalize employment relationships and business operations.

ELA's campaign contributes to this broader objective by raising awareness and encouraging innovative policy approaches to reduce undeclared work.

Frédéric Lapeyre, Director of the ILO Priority Action Programme on Transition to Formality, will further highlight this agenda at the 20th meeting of the European Platform on tackling undeclared work.

The meeting will take place on 12 March 2026 in Larnaca, Cyprus, where policymakers and labour experts will discuss practical solutions for bridging policy and implementation in the fight against informal employment.

Raising awareness across Europe

ELA officials say the campaign aims to promote greater awareness across Europe about the economic and social value of formal employment.

By encouraging declared work and sharing best practices, the initiative seeks to support fair labour markets, stronger social protection systems and more sustainable economic development across the European Union.