Nepal, Oct. 25 -- In December 2025, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) reported that over 86 percent of Nepal's workers were in informal employment. Yet, out of nearly 2.7 million workers registered with the Social Security Fund (SSF), only about 1,500 were informal or self-employed.

But Nepal is not an exception. About 58 percent of the world's workers are informally employed. Informal workers often lack access to labour law and social protection. The distinction matters: the 2017-18 Labour Force Survey found 84.6 percent of Nepal's employed in informal employment. Informal jobs also exist in registered firms in Nepal, where about 78 percent of workers held informal jobs in 2018. Registering businesses, however, is not the same...