ILO Care Policy Investment Simulator expanded to include new countries

In Europe and Central Asia, the Simulator is supporting ILO projects in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and Central Asia, with results being utilized to enhance regional support.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has announced the expansion of its Care Policy Investment Simulator to encompass 16 new countries in the Americas, 12 in Europe and Central Asia, and 8 in the Arab States, bolstering support for global initiatives aimed at investing in the care economy.

The Simulator, a pioneering tool, facilitates the development of tailor-made care policy investment packages across four key areas: childcare-related leave (including maternity, paternity, and parental leave), breastfeeding breaks, early childhood care and education, and long-term care services. Leveraging data from 180 statistical indicators, the Simulator calculates investment requirements, employment benefits, and the impact on gender equality of these policy packages.

Through collaboration with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the ILO has expanded the Simulator to include new countries in the Americas, including four from the Caribbean—a previously uncovered sub-region. These simulations, alongside regional companion reports, strengthen technical support and aid in responding to growing regional interest in the care economy.

In Europe and Central Asia, the Simulator is supporting ILO projects in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and Central Asia, with results being utilized to enhance regional support. New additions such as Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan, and Albania serve as pathfinder countries for the UN Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection, focusing on the care economy.

Driven by the regional conference "Investing in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in the Arab Region for a more gender-equal world of work," the Simulator expanded its reach in the Arab States from one to nine countries. The Simulator's estimations showcased the potential to generate almost 6 million jobs by 2035 across 12 Middle East and North African countries by closing the childcare policy gap.

Furthermore, the Simulator has undergone upgrades to enhance data integration, benefiting all 118 countries. Detailed adjustments are outlined in the ILO Care Policy Investment Simulator:

Technical Note 2.0.

Thanks to a collaboration with the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), over 20 country and regional briefs have been prepared using information from the ILO Global Care Policy Portal and Investment Simulator, now accessible in the ILO Care Policy E-Library.