Workplaces Are Closing the HIV Testing Gap for Men—and Changing Lives in the Process
A new International Labour Organization (ILO) report, released on December 1, reveals a groundbreaking insight: the workplace isn’t just a space for earning a living—it’s becoming a lifeline for health, equality, and wellness. Through its global initiative, Voluntary Counselling and HIV Testing for Workers (VCT@WORK), the ILO is helping millions of men bridge a long-standing gap in HIV testing, while promoting dignity and inclusion across industries worldwide.
But here’s where it gets interesting—between 2021 and 2024, the program reached nearly 2.5 million workers with HIV-related information and enabled about 1.5 million people to get tested voluntarily. Among them, 1.1 million were men, marking a critical advance toward closing the gender gap in HIV diagnosis. Of those tested, 48,616 workers (including over 37,000 men and more than 11,000 women) were referred to life-saving antiretroviral therapy after testing positive.
Despite global progress, men still lag significantly behind women in HIV outcomes. The 2025 UNAIDS Global AIDS Update paints a clear picture: only 84% of men living with HIV know their status, compared to 92% of women. Likewise, 73% of men are on treatment versus 83% of women, and just 69% of men undergoing therapy have achieved viral suppression, compared to 79% of women. So the question remains: why are men still being left behind—and can workplaces continue to reverse that trend?
According to Chidi King, ILO’s Chief of Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, the answer lies in empowerment through access. “The VCT@WORK initiative demonstrates that workplaces serve as vital entry points for combating HIV. It supports workers in maintaining good health—especially those who test positive—while addressing gender-based violence, stigma, and discrimination.” The initiative combines fairness with inclusion, ensuring no one’s dignity or rights are compromised.
The report’s human stories bring these numbers to life. Through collaborations with local partners, VCT@WORK has reached vulnerable groups that often fall through the cracks: miners in South Africa, migrant laborers in India, refugees in Cameroon, people with disabilities in Mozambique, and long-haul truck drivers across Kenya. Many of these individuals face significant barriers to traditional healthcare access—making workplace outreach a game-changing model.
Take the case of Kenyan truck drivers. For many, visiting a clinic can cost valuable time and income. One driver explained, “Getting tested for HIV used to be difficult. Self-testing changed that. It’s private, quick, and empowering. Every truck driver should take part in these self-testing drives.” His story underlines how confidential, self-guided testing has become a breakthrough for workers in informal sectors, helping overcome fear and social stigma.
ILO’s initiative follows its Recommendation No. 200 on HIV and AIDS and the World of Work, which promotes voluntary participation, confidentiality, and non-discrimination. The success of this model stems from strong management commitment, trained peer educators, and rights-based workplace policies that nurture trust.
But the ripple effects don’t stop there. By embedding HIV testing within wider health and social protection programs, VCT@WORK also tackles stigma head-on. In India, for example, an ILO-supported project helped construction workers register with state welfare boards. The benefits went beyond HIV prevention—workers gained access to subsidized land and welfare schemes that improved their quality of life. One worker from Gujarat shared his testimony: “When I learned I was HIV positive, I lost hope. But counselling and treatment gave me strength to continue working. Thanks to my E Nirman card, I was eligible to get land for my home. It all started with receiving the right information at the right time.”
Expanding beyond HIV, the initiative now integrates wellness checks for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and hypertension—an approach many employers have come to appreciate. Healthy workers are not only more productive but also more engaged, transforming workplaces into sustainable platforms for holistic wellbeing.
Ultimately, VCT@WORK is rewriting the narrative around workplace health. By making testing and support part of a broader system of equality and protection, the ILO has proven that work environments can be powerful agents of social change. They’re not only engines of economic growth but also gateways to health, dignity, and resilience.
The bigger question now is—should every major employer adopt a similar approach? Some might argue that health initiatives belong to the healthcare system, not the workplace. But as VCT@WORK shows, when work and wellness converge, both lives and livelihoods thrive. What do you think—should your workplace take a more active role in health testing and inclusion?
