E/C.12/GC/19 page 11 3. Workers inadequately protected by social security (part-time, casual, self-employed and homeworkers) 33. Steps must be taken by States parties to the maximum of their available resources to ensure that the social security systems cover workers inadequately protected by social security, including part-time workers, casual workers, the self-employed and homeworkers. Where social security schemes for such workers are based on occupational activity, they should be adapted so that they enjoy conditions equivalent to those of comparable full-time workers. Except in the case of employment injury, these conditions could be determined in proportion to hours of work, contributions or earnings, or through other appropriate methods. Where such occupation-based schemes do not provide adequate coverage to these workers, a State party will need to adopt complementary measures. 4. Informal economy 34. States parties must take steps to the maximum of their available resources to ensure that the social security systems cover those persons working in the informal economy. The informal economy has been defined by the International Labour Conference as “all economic activities by workers and economic units that are - in law or in practice - not covered or insufficiently covered by formal arrangements.”28 This duty is particularly important where social security systems are based on a formal employment relationship, business unit or registered residence. Measures could include: (a) removing obstacles that prevent such persons from accessing informal social security schemes, such as community-based insurance; (b) ensuring a minimum level of coverage of risks and contingencies with progressive expansion over time; and (c) respecting and supporting social security schemes developed within the informal economy such as microinsurance and other microcredit related schemes. The Committee notes that in a number of States parties with a large informal economy, programmes such as universal pension and health-care schemes that cover all persons have been adopted. 5. Indigenous Peoples and Minority Groups 35. States parties should take particular care that indigenous peoples and ethnic and linguistic minorities are not excluded from social security systems through direct or indirect discrimination, particularly through the imposition of unreasonable eligibility conditions or lack of adequate access to information. 6. Non-nationals (including migrant workers, refugees, asylum-seekers and stateless persons) 36. Article 2, paragraph 2, prohibits discrimination on grounds of nationality and the Committee notes that the Covenant contains no express jurisdictional limitation. Where nonnationals, including migrant workers, have contributed to a social security scheme, they should 28 Conclusions concerning decent work and the informal economy, General Conference of the International Labour Organization, 90th session, para. 3.