On this Workers’ Day, the Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) joins the progressive world in honouring the resilience, sacrifices, and contributions of workers in both the formal and informal sectors. We also take this opportunity to recognise the immense burden of Unpaid Care and Domestic Work, disproportionately borne by women, which remains largely unrecognised, unrewarded, underrepresented, and inadequately redistributed.
For many women in the informal economy, Workers’ Day often arrives without much cause for celebration. Day after day, they balance the demands of income generation with caregiving responsibilities that sustain families, communities, and ultimately the economy itself. Their labour, though critical, continues to receive limited policy attention and support.
According to the 2025 Second Quarter Labour Force Survey, Zimbabwe has a total employed population of 3,186,598 people, of whom 1,863,695 — representing 58.5% of the workforce — are employed in the informal sector. The sector accounts for 58.2% of employed males and 58.8% of employed females, clearly demonstrating that the informal economy is not peripheral, but the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy and livelihoods.
In this regard, VISET expresses its sincere appreciation to the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, and the Government of Zimbabwe, for the recent approval of the National Formalisation Strategy. This milestone gives hope to millions of informal workers whose aspirations and lived realities were reflected during the nationwide consultation process.
Throughout the consultations, informal workers consistently called for the extension of social protection measures tailored to the sector, including:
- accessible childcare infrastructure,
- safe and modern trading spaces,
- business and financial literacy support,
- access to affordable working capital, and
- policy frameworks that uphold dignity, inclusion, and decent work.
We are particularly encouraged by the remarks made by the Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Honourable Mercy Dinha, during the VISET National Care Symposium, where she committed to advancing initiatives aimed at recognising, reducing, and rewarding Unpaid Care Work. Such commitments strengthen our belief that government is increasingly taking meaningful steps towards ensuring that “no one and no place is left behind” in Zimbabwe’s development trajectory.
There can be no doubt that, if implemented faithfully and in the spirit of the national consultations, the Formalisation Strategy has the potential to become a transformative policy instrument — one capable of restoring dignity, recognition, protection, and economic justice to millions of informal workers who have for far too long been unfairly marginalised and criminalised.
As VISET, we reaffirm our commitment to advocating for an inclusive economy that values every worker, protects livelihoods, and recognises care work as an essential pillar of national development.
Happy Workers’ Day to all workers across Zimbabwe and the world.
