Above photo: People Powered Economy created by Janelle Orsi of Sustainable Economies Law Center.
And the social and solidarity economy.
Two Technical Working Groups (TWGs) led by the ILO on statistics on cooperatives and on the social and solidarity economy (SSE) begin shaping frameworks to improve visibility, comparability, and policy relevance of these statistics.
Following the joint kick-off meeting on 12 March 2025, the two Technical Working Groups (TWGs) held their first technical sessions on 28 and 29 April 2025. These meetings marked the beginning of their in-depth work to develop globally relevant statistical frameworks for cooperatives and the broader social and solidarity economy (SSE).
Measuring the economic contribution cooperatives
The Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) Technical Working Group on Measuring the Economic Contribution of Cooperatives (TWG MECC)convened on 28 April for its first technical meeting. Olivier Frey, lead author on measuring the economic contribution of cooperatives, presented the rationale for a global measurement framework, emphasizing the need for conceptual clarity, relevant indicators, and a modular methodology adaptable across countries. He emphasized key elements often overlooked in national statistics on cooperatives, such as employment generation and fiscal contributions.
Participants addressed persistent challenges in compile cooperative statistics including data inconsistencies, classification gaps, and the absence of cooperative-specific accounting standards. David Hunter of StatClass Consulting stressed the importance of producing actionable guidance:
“Our main task is to figure out how to measure the economic contribution of cooperatives. Through that, we determine which data points countries should begin to collect.”
The TWG also considered forming a subgroup to explore cooperative accounting standards, acknowledging the limitations of conventional reporting frameworks in capturing the unique aspects of cooperatives.
Advancing global statistical standards for the social and solidarity economy
On 29 April, the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE) Technical Working Group on Social and Solidarity Economy Statistics (TWG SSES)held its first technical session. Chiara Carini, senior researcher of Euricse, opened with insights from Benchmarking of the socio-economic performance of the EU social economy, in which she was one of the lead authors.
The group discussed the definitional complexity of the SSE, highlighting challenges such as value-based criteria, hybrid and emerging entities and organizational forms, and the statistical invisibility of informal initiatives. Participants explored how SSE statistics could be integrated into existing frameworks such as the System of National Accounts (SNA) and the Non-Profit Institutions (NPI) Satellite Account.
There was consensus on the need for a shared conceptual core, complemented by modular elements to accommodate national contexts. Several members advocated a multi-dimensional approach, emphasizing the limitations of relying solely on legal forms. As Marie J. Bouchard (Université du Québec à Montréal, UQAM) noted:
“We should consider typologies and definitions simultaneously. By combining legal, functional, and mission-based criteria, we can arrive at a robust and inclusive statistical framework for the SSE.”
The way forward
With strong engagement across both TWGs, these sessions laid the foundation for globally relevant, evidence-based statistical tools. The outputs will contribute to the forthcoming statistical manual on cooperatives and the guidelines on SSE statistics, to be presented at the 22nd International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) in 2028.
