The quality of employment in Latin America

Around the 70% of jobs in Latin America are informal. The data, released by a recent study by the International Labor Organization, is overwhelming. A reality of millions of Latin Americans who are immersed in the difficulties of informal employment that, In addition to what it means for the economies of the countries, they are people who will not have a retirement when the time comes to retire, nor do they have maternity or sick leave and are very far from having any type of health coverage. That is, they cannot exercise their most basic labor rights.

It is critical that we put the quality employment debate on the public policy agenda in Latin America, especially after the COVID-19 tragedy, which has contributed to the increase in poverty and informality in the region.

As I comment throughout my recent book, “Jobless: Employment in Latin America amid poverty, education, technological change and the pandemic”, this is a subject little debated, with little evidence in this regard and that in some discussions seem not to exist. Research and publications abound on how technology is impacting new professions AND on how the pandemic is transforming entire sectors, incorporating a more hybrid, remote and flexible work modality, which already existed in most developed countries.

But There is very little debate about work today, the reality of so many Latin Americans without quality employment in which technology, far from bringing an opportunity, aggravates their situation. I wonder why we are not talking about the millions of adults who fail to finish secondary school or the fact that, in most of the countries of the region, those who manage to finish secondary are half of those who attended primary school. We also do not talk about university graduates, who represent a minority in the region, and that there are few initiatives to expand access and superior termination.

However, we continue to debate the lack of professional training, a theme that is frequently repeated among academics and politicians during meetings and conferences on the future of work. A proposal that, generally, has little scope and is linked to labor demands.

We have to start talking about the informality that affects more than half of Latin Americans and that, perhaps, Generating quality employment is the best way to train and re-educate those adults who have not had the opportunity to complete their formal education, in addition to the benefits of having a job themselves.

Having the necessary information is the first step to be able to think and design effective public policies whose effects can be rigorously measured. Next, we need real numbers that reflect how many citizens have been able to get a job or improve their situation, how many have managed to enter the formal sector from informality, and how many have found a job after receiving training. Put aside references to the impact of public policies as a politically correct issue, in order to give way to the concrete measurement of the results of these policies and initiatives.

In the book we comment and analyze about the welfare state in the region and the growing welfare that exists in many countries. It seems key to me that we dare to talk about the best social policies and ask ourselves why, despite this expansion, poverty does not seem to decrease nor does formal employment grow. Isn’t employment the best social policy to reduce poverty? Latin America needs to improve its social policies because it is one of the most unequal regions in the world: inequity in income levels is tragically notorious, but it is even more serious in levels of education, access to health, security and peace.

We have to face this inequality by defining public policies and public-private work to reduce it; It is the only way for all Latin Americans to have equal opportunities. For this, quality employment is a priority.

KEEP READING