Social Protection of the Informal Sector in Southeast Asia

Abstract

The paper tackles the issue of social protection in the informal sector in four countries, namely: Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. It cites the initiatives of governments, civil society, and religious organizations. The author claims that despite the recognition of the informal sector's role in a nation's economy, there is still no official definition of the informal sector. Thus, government laws and programs are focused primarily on the formal sector, and there is some ambivalence on what to do with the informal sector - i.e., whether to integrate it to the formal sector or to treat it as a separate entity. Yuson opines that non-government entities are more involved than the government in servicing the informal sector, while the business sector also helps through their community-based programs.