Homeworkers, predominantly women, comprise a substantial share of the labour force in many countries. They range from genuinely self-employed workers producing goods and services from home, to a disguised form of employment by manufacturers and other employers who wish to avoid the duties of employers under labour laws and other legislation. In recent years, this picture has been further complicated by the introduction of new forms of home-based working into previously office-based white-collar occupations as a consequence of the introduction of information technology. As a result, homeworking currently embraces an extraordinary diversity of occupations, payment systems and contractual arrangements in a wide range of service and manufacturing industries in both developed and developing economies.

Compared with other forms of employment, homeworking presents a particularly challenging set of problems to any authority developing regulations or guidelines for good practice and to other groups seeking to promote improved working conditions.

The Home Work Convention, 1996 (No. 177), and Recommendation, No. 184 , provide useful guidance on the treatment of homeworkers. Further resources include publications by the Conditions of Work and Employment Programme and by the InFocus Programme on Small Enterprise Development, as well as the report of a National Seminar on Safety and Health for Home-based Workers in Thailand.