E/C.12/TJK/CO/2-3 Informal economy 18. The Committee is concerned at the lack of a clear definition in legislation of the informal economy, which accounts for a very large portion of the total workforce in the State party, making it difficult to assess the situation of workers in the informal economy and to develop effective policies to ensure the protection of their rights that are enshrined in the Covenant (arts. 7 and 8). The Committee recommends that the State party take the necessary measures to define the informal economy in its legislation and to ensure that workers in the informal sector are not discriminated against in enjoying their economic, social and cultural rights. The Committee also recommends that the State party systematically include the informal economy in the operations of the labour inspection services, address regulatory obstacles to job creation in the formal economy, and raise public awareness of the fact that labour and trade union rights, as well as social protection, apply in the informal economy. Minimum wage 19. While recognizing that the minimum wage has considerably increased over the past few years, the Committee is concerned that it is still insufficient to ensure a decent living for workers and their family members (art. 7). The Committee recommends that the State party continue its efforts to raise the minimum wage to a level that can provide workers and their family members with a decent living in accordance with article 7 (a) (ii) of the Covenant. Discrimination against women in employment 20. The Committee is concerned about the low participation of women in the labour market, persistent gaps in pay and in retirement benefits between women and men, and vertical and horizontal sex segregation in employment that results in women occupying lower-paid jobs in the informal sector (arts. 6 and 7). The Committee recommends that the State party take all the necessary measures to: (a) Review all obstacles for women in employment and adopt temporary special measures to promote the access of women to all types of employment and occupation; (b) Adopt legislative and policy measures to ensure equal pay for women and men for work of equal value, and the same retirement age; (c) Enhance vocational training, job training and retraining opportunities for unemployed women and women employed in low-paid jobs; (d) Revise the List of industries, work, professions and positions with hazardous and/or dangerous working conditions in which the use of women's labour is prohibited. Social security 21. The Committee is concerned that the amounts of the minimum wage, pensions, benefits and other social payments resulting from the indicators identified in the methodological recommendations are too low to ensure an adequate standard of living for recipients and their families. The Committee is also concerned that the new unified pension system under consideration to cover both insurance-based and State-guaranteed payments will have a negative effect on women, a majority of whom work in the informal sector or in low-paid jobs (art. 9). 6