Guide to Recommendation No.189 on Job Creation in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

This Guide to the Recommendation No. 189 provides key elements to support the implementation of policies and strategies to promote decent and sustainable job creation in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs).

Adopted by the International Labour Conference in 1998, the Recommendation No. 189 is the only International Labour Standard that provides guidelines on general conditions to stimulate job creation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This Recommendation is an important instrument for ILO constituents, actors and institutions of the international community engaged in policies, strategies, and regulatory frameworks to enhance sustainable enterprises development.

The guide to the recommendation provides strategies, tools and responses developed by the ILO for their promotion. They are among several others: the Enabling Environment for Sustainable Enterprises (EESE) Programme, the Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) Programme, the Women's Enterpreneurship Development (WED) Programme, the Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) Program, Women's Entrepreneurship Self-Check (WE-Check), and My Cooperative (MyCoop) training. Through these, it highlights good practices and lessons learned aimed at decision makers and policy practitioners.