The paper provides evidence of the growing informalisation of the labour force in south Asian countries. Two broad components of the informal economy, i e, non-wage and wage employment are distinguished. The share of the first component has been rising in the last two decades. Within non-wage employment, certain invisible groups of workers, such as home-based workers and street vendors are vulnerable to changes in the global and local economy. The increasing casualisation of the workforce is evidence of an increase in the second broad component. Within wage employment, homeworkers or outworkers and informal workers in the formal enterprises are vulnerable. The low quality of employment available to women in the informal economy is brought out by evidence on the wages and incomes received and differentials in earnings