Keywords
International migration
Living conditions
Métricas
How to Cite
Abstract
The objective of this article is to establish interconnections between labor informality in Brazil and the intraregional migratory context in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), characterizing them and situating this debate based on its economic and social dimensions. In section 1, we outline some key aspects of informality and immigration. In section 2, we highlight the main characteristics that contribute to the current configuration of the Brazilian and regional labor market: a) at the beginning of the 21st century, there was a movement toward labor formalization in LAC and Brazil, with intraregional immigration occurring mainly for opportunity; b) from the mid-2010s onwards, there was a socioeconomic downturn, resulting in a significant increase in labor informality, with consequent immigration out of necessity. In section 3, we critically discuss the current interconnections between labor informality and intraregional immigration. We conclude that, given the potential opportunities and existing obstacles to improving working and living conditions in LAC, it is necessary to build more synergy between countries, reject neoliberal practices, strengthen public policies aimed at occupational integration and social protection for immigrants, and also expand the social and political power of the population. In this process, the role of citizenship in the transition to a more egalitarian economy and society is decisive.
References
Abramo, L. (2021). Políticas para enfrentar los desafíos de las antiguas y nuevas formas de informalidad en América Latina. [Serie Políticas Sociales, No. 240]. Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL). https://hdl.handle.net/11362/47406
Anderson, B. (2021). O fazer e o não-fazer de imigrantes e cidadãos: Repensando o estudo de movimento humano. Revista Trilhos, 2(1), 49–65. https://revistatrilhos.com/home/index.php/trilhos/article/view/61
Badia-Miró, M., Tirado-Fabregat, D. A., & Willebald, H. (2020). Introduction: Time, space and economics in the history of Latin America. In M. Badia-Miró, D. A. Tirado-Fabregat, & H. Willebald (Eds.), Palgrave studies in economic history (pp. 1–16). Palgrave Macmillan.
Baeninger, R. A., & Mesquita, R. B. (2016). Integração regional e fronteiras: Desafios para a governança das migrações internacionais na América Latina. Revista Transporte y Territorio, (15), 146–163. https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/rtt/article/view/2855
Bahia, S. J. C. (2016). Social power, law and society. Cadmus, 3(1), 105–108. https://cadmusjournal.org/article/volume-3/issue-1/social-power-law-and-society
Baltar, P. E., & Manzano, M. (2023). El problema de la informalidad ocupacional en la periferia del capitalismo. In R. V. Oliveira, P. Varela, & A. M. Calderón (Eds.), Informalidad en América Latina: ¿Un debate actual? (pp. 139–154). Universidad de Alicante.
Benanav, A. (2019). The origins of informality: The ILO at the limit of the concept of unemployment. Journal of Global History, 14(1), 107–125. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1740022818000372
Bignami, R. (2022). Migração irregular e a economia informal na América Latina. In F. P. Virginio (Org.), Informalidade e proteção dos trabalhadores imigrantes: Navegando pelo humanismo, securitização e dignidade (pp. 37–48). Outra Expressões.
Cecchini, S., & Pizarro, J. M. (2023). International migration in Latin America and the Caribbean: A development and rights perspective. CEPAL Review, (141), 215–230. https://www.cepal.org/en/publications/69204-international-migration-latin-america-and-caribbean-development-and-rights
Christiny, M. V. C., & Pizarro, J. M. (2023). Contributions of international migration to development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). https://www.cepal.org/en/publications/68726-contributions-international-migration-development-latin-america-and-caribbean
Cordelli, C. (2023). Freeing people; restricting capital. British Journal of Political Science, 53(4), 1093–1107. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123423000054
De Haas, H. (2021). A theory of migration: The aspirations–capabilities framework. Comparative Migration Studies, 9(8), 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-020-00210-4
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) (2023). Social Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean 2023: Labour inclusion as a key axis of inclusive social development. https://www.cepal.org/en/publications/68703-social-panorama-latin-america-and-caribbean-2023-labour-inclusion-key-axis
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) (2024). Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean 2024 (Executive summary). https://www.cepal.org/en/publications/80596-economic-survey-latin-america-and-caribbean-2024-low-growth-trap-climate-change
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), & International Labour Organization (ILO) (2017). Labour immigration in Latin America. Employment Situation in Latin America and the Caribbean, (16). https://www.cepal.org/en/publications/41371-employment-situation-latin-america-and-caribbean-labour-immigration-latin-america
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), & International Labour Organization (ILO) (2022). Labour productivity in Latin America. Employment Situation in Latin America and the Caribbean, (27). https://www.ilo.org/publications/employment-situation-latin-america-and-caribbean-number-27-labour
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), & International Labour Organization (ILO) (2023). Towards the creation of better jobs in the post-pandemic era. Employment Situation in Latin America and the Caribbean, (28). https://www.ilo.org/publications/employment-situation-latin-america-and-caribbean-number-28-towards-creation
Fernández-Rodríguez, N., & Freier, L. F. (2024). Latin American immigration and refugee policies: A critical literature review. Comparative Migration Studies, 12(15), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-024-00377-0
Freitas, A. F. (2011). O conceito de trabalho informal, sua evolução histórica e o potencial analítico atual: Para não jogar a criança fora junto com a água do banho. In R. V. Oliveira, D. Gomes, & I. T. Moreira (Orgs.), Marchas e contramarchas da informalidade do trabalho: Das origens às novas abordagens. Editora Universitária da UFPB.
Guimarães, N. A., & Paugam, S. (2016). Work and employment precariousness: a transnational concept? Sociologia del Lavoro, (144), 55–84. https://doi.org/10.3280/SL2016-144005
Harvey, D. (2005). A brief history of neoliberalism. Oxford University Press.
International Labour Organization (ILO) (2023a). 2023 Labour Overview of Latin America and the Caribbean (Executive summary). https://www.ilo.org/publications/2023-labour-overview-latin-america-and-caribbean-executive-summary
International Labour Organization (ILO) (2023b). World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2023. https://www.ilo.org/publications/flagship-reports/world-employment-and-social-outlook-trends-2023
International Labour Organization (ILO) (2024). ILO regional strategy on labour migration and human mobility in Latin America and the Caribbean 2023–2030. https://www.ilo.org/publications/ilo-regional-strategy-labour-migration-and-human-mobility-latin-america-and
International Organization for Migration (2024). World Migration Report 2024. https://publications.iom.int/books/world-migration-report-2024
Jacobs, G., Swilling, M., Nagan, W. P., Morgan, J., & Gills, B. (2017). Quest for a new paradigm in Economics: A synthesis of views of the New Economics Working Group. Cadmus, 3(2), 10–44. https://www.cadmusjournal.org/node/618
Krein, J. D., Biavaschi, M. B., Moltó, M., Di Russo, L., Jury, S., & Hauque, S. (2023). Regulación y políticas públicas de tránsito a la formalización. In R. V. Oliveira, P. Varela, & A. M. Calderón (Eds.), Informalidad en América Latina: ¿Un debate actual? (pp. 381–398). Universidad de Alicante.
Larotta, J., Escobar, O., Ávila-Aguero, M. L., Torres, J. P., Almeida, R. S., Morales, G. C., & Srivastava, A. (2023). Covid-19 in Latin America: A snapshot in time and the road ahead. Infectious Diseases and Therapy, 12, 389–410. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40121-022-00748-z
Manzano, M. P. F., Krein, J. D., & Abílio, L. C. (2021). The dynamics of labour informality in Brazil, 2003–2019. Global Labour Journal, 12(3), 227–243. https://doi.org/10.15173/glj.v12i3.4434
Maurizio, R. (2021). Empleo e informalidad en América Latina y el Caribe: Una recuperación insuficiente y desigual. [Serie Panorama Laboral en América Latina y el Caribe 2021 – Nota Técnica], Organización Internacional del Trabajo. https://www.ilo.org/es/publications/empleo-e-informalidad-en-america-latina-y-el-caribe-una-recuperacion
Maurizio, R., Beccaria, L., & Monsalvo, A. (2021). Labour formalization and inequality: The distributive impact of labour formalization in Latin America since 2000. Development and Change, 53(1), 117–165. https://doi.org/10.1111/dech.12653
Nassif, A., Feijó, C., & Araújo, E. (2015). Overvaluation trend of the Brazilian currency in the 2000s. Revista de Economia Política, 35(3), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1590/0101-31572015v35n01a01
Oliveira, A. T. R. de (2017). Nova lei brasileira de migração: avanços, desafios e ameaças. Revista Brasileira de Estudos de População, 34(1), 171–179. https://doi.org/10.20947/S0102-3098a0010
Oliveira, A. T. R. de, & Oliveira, W. F. de (2020). A inserção dos imigrantes no mercado de trabalho informal: o que nos dizem as pesquisas domiciliares? Périplos, 4(2), 65–94. https://periodicos.unb.br/index.php/obmigra_periplos/article/view/34625/28610
Ortiz, L. V. (2020). Migration, borders and identity. In X. Bada & L. Rivera-Sánchez (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of the Sociology of Latin America (pp. 448–464). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190926557.013.28
Ostry, J. D., Loungani, P., & Furceri, D. (2016). Neoliberalism: Oversold? Finance & Development, 53(2), 38–41. https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2016/06/ostry.htm
Pochmann, M. (2023). Percepción actual de la informalidad a nivel Sudamericano. In R. V. Oliveira, P. Varela, & A. M. Calderón (Eds.), Informalidad en América Latina: ¿Un debate actual? (pp. 121–138). Universidad de Alicante.
Quintana, L., Salas, C., & Correa-Quezada, R. (2019). Crisis, employment and inequality in Latin America. Investigaciones Regionales, (43), 129–147. https://www.redalyc.org/journal/289/28958264015/html/
Salazar-Xirinachs, J. M., & Chacaltana, J. (2018). La informalidad en América Latina y el Caribe: ¿Por qué persiste y cómo superarla? In J. M. Salazar-Xirinachs, & J. Chacaltana (Eds.), Políticas de formalización en América Latina: Avances y desafíos (pp. 13-47). OIT, Oficina Regional para América Latina y el Caribe.
Silva, S. A. (2018). Travessias de vida e de pesquisa. Travessia: Revista do Migrante, (82), 145–166. https://doi.org/10.48213/travessia.i82.374
Tonhati, T., Cavalcanti, L., & Oliveira, A. T. (2022). A decade of growth in migration in Brazil (2010–2020) and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In G. Herrera & C. Gómez (Eds.), Migration in South America (pp. 99-120). Springer.
United Nations (2024). Global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. [Report of the Secretary-General]. UN General Assembly, Seventy-ninth session. https://migrationnetwork.un.org/sites/g/files/tmzbdl416/files/sg-report-2024/A_79_590-EN.pdf
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCF) (1984). Cartagena Declaration on Refugees. https://www.unhcr.org/media/cartagena-declaration-refugees-adopted-colloquium-international-protection-refugees-central
Vargas, J. (2016). O mundo, o Brasil e a informalidade do trabalho. Capital Científico, 14, 1–13. https://revistas.unicentro.br/index.php/capitalcientifico/article/view/4029/3140
Vargas, J., & Teixeira, J. R. (2018). Institutional challenges to the labor market and the fourth industrial revolution in the light of a new paradigm in economic thinking: the Brazilian case. Eruditio, 2, 5–24.
Villen, P. (2018). Invisíveis globais: Imigração e trabalho no Brasil. Alameda.
World Health Organization (WHO) (2023, May 5). WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing – 5 May 2023. https://www.who.int/news-room/speeches/item/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing---5-may-2023
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Juliano Vargas, José Dari Krein