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Global Scale of Digital Wages - Final evaluation

eval_number:

3257

eval_url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/eval/3257

location:

country:

Inter-Regional

region:

Inter-Regional

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eval_title:

Global Scale of Digital Wages - Final evaluation

recommendations:

date:

2026-06-10 00:00:00.0

themes:

theme:

Constituents

category:

Trade Union - capacity building

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comments:

Building on initial achievements, the ongoing second phase of the project (2025–2027) is strengthening worker-centred approaches to digital wage payments and related workplace financial services through several targeted initiatives: • Enhanced engagement with workers’ organizations: The project is deepening its collaboration with workers’ organizations at country, regional, and global levels to promote the adoption of digital wages, the formalization of employment, and financial consumer protection. This includes the systematic involvement of workers’ organizations in policy dialogue and capacity development activities; collaboration with trade unions in Indonesia to build the capacities of MSMEs on responsible wage digitization and employment formalization; and the implementation of a study on the use of financial services among garment workers in Cambodia. • Expanded tools for financial and digital literacy: The project is strengthening its toolkit to support workers’ financial and digital literacy, with a focus on enabling them to receive, access, and effectively use digital wages. These tools are being developed and/or integrated into the portfolios of employers’ and workers’ organizations, governments, enterprises, financial service providers, and other stakeholders. Key examples include the development of an e-learning module on digital wage payments for the Central Bank of the Philippines; a practical guide to support employers in helping workers access and use digital wages and other financial services; the promotion of a financial literacy chatbot for garment workers in Cambodia; and the development of tools for workers’ organizations on digital wages and financial consumer protection at country and regional levels.

management_response:

Completed

progress:

Achieved

admin_units:

SFU

title:

Recommendation 1: Strengthening worker-centred approaches to digital wage payments. Justification: Workers’ representatives acknowledged the potential benefits of digital wages; however, they did not always view the topic as a core priority, and often perceived the agenda as more focused on employers’ interests. Some representatives cautioned that hidden fees and risky financial products could shift costs onto workers, especially the most vulnerable. While workers’ organisations were consistently engaged at the global level, their involvement at country level was uneven and particularly limited in some contexts in Indonesia and Peru. This created gaps in worker support to the project and may have affected the design of inclusive digital wage mechanisms at national level and beyond. It may also have constrained ownership and learning loops, reducing the extent to which workers’ perspectives were systematically captured. Possible actions: Carry out a more in-depth assessment of workers’ demands at both global and country level, to help strengthen involvement, ownership and support by workers’ representatives. Ensure consistent worker representation and engagement in wage digitalisation processes by ensuring the involvement of worker representatives across all contexts and designing context-sensitive consultation frameworks that improve the likelihood of genuine participation. Include monitoring mechanisms to verify that cost savings from digital wage systems translate into tangible benefits for workers. Use insights and evidence generated under the project’s M&E system (see Recommendation 5) and draw on lessons and approaches from Cambodia and the Philippines, where worker engagement was stronger, to inform potential actions.

project_symbols:

GLO/20/34/GAT

url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/recommendations/2376517

information_source:

Head Quarters

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