Labour rights
Homeworker (Outworker)
Definition
A homeworker is a person who carries out work for remuneration in their home or in premises of their own choosing, other than the employer's workplace, resulting in a product or service specified by the employer. Homeworking is recognised in ILO Convention No. 177 (1996), which calls for equality of treatment between homeworkers and other wage earners.
References
definition and equality-of-treatment principle
prevalence and supply chain context
Overview
What it means
Homeworkers — predominantly women — sit at the bottom of many garment, footwear and craft supply chains, often as piece-rate subcontractors invisible in factory audits. They typically lack social protection, face low and irregular pay, and absorb production risks such as order volatility.
How it is used
The term appears in labour rights due diligence, social auditing and ethical trade programmes; brands are increasingly expected to map homeworking in their supply chains rather than prohibit it, since bans typically drive the practice underground.
Why it matters
Homeworkers are among the least visible and most vulnerable workers in global supply chains; recognising them is a test of whether due diligence reaches beyond first-tier factories.