YEREVAN, July 27. /ARKA/. The study 'National Time Transfer Accounts' (NTTA) in Armenia quantitatively assesses the scale of unpaid labor for the first time, showing that household work and care for children and the elderly constitute one of the largest 'invisible' sectors of the country's economy.
Main Findings of the Study
The head of the management consulting service Ameria, Tigran Jrabashyan, noted that this study is a continuation of work conducted in 2021-2022 when Armenia first developed a model of national transfer accounts.
'National accounts reflect the volume of goods produced in the country and the ways they are used. Within this model, data is distributed by age and gender. This is very important for understanding which demographic groups primarily create economic products and which groups primarily consume them. Such information is necessary for the development and implementation of social, medical, educational, economic, and other types of state policies and strategies,' said Jrabashyan.
He noted that the current study complements this model with the so-called non-monetized product, which refers to work and created value measured not in money but in time spent.
Methods for Evaluating Unpaid Labor
According to him, the first method estimates unpaid labor to constitute about 78% of all work performed by women. For men, the picture is almost the opposite: unpaid work accounts for about 11%, while paid work is approximately 89%.
'There is also another method of assessment. It shows how much women could earn if the time spent on unpaid work were used for paid employment corresponding to their age and professional skills. In this approach, the gap becomes even more significant,' said Jrabashyan.
Main Issues
According to Jrabashyan, women in Armenia have a high educational potential, but a significant portion of this human capital is utilized outside the formal economy. When considering the value of unpaid labor, women's contribution to the creation of total added value is comparable to or even exceeds that of men.
Better Solutions
Sarkisyan and Jrabashyan agree that a comprehensive approach is necessary. Among the priorities, they mention the development of affordable kindergartens and elderly care services, flexible forms of employment, and family-oriented corporate policies.
Conclusion
The study shifts the discussion of domestic labor from the social sphere to the realm of economic policy. Recognizing unpaid labor will allow for a more accurate assessment of the country's human capital and more effective decisions in employment, social protection, and demographics.
