Informal Employment as a Fundamental Determinant of Mental Health in Latin America and the Caribbean

Details

• Personal Author:
  Amable M ; Assunção AA ; Benavides FG ; Gimeno Ruiz de Porras D ; Merino-Salazar P
• Description:
  Informal employment is a persistent structural feature of labour markets in Latin America and the Caribbean. This type of employment is a complex phenomenon that refers to all jobs outside of state employment regulation and social protection systems and can be found in the informal and formal sectors. According to the International Labour Organization, in 2022, 53·7% of workers in Latin America and the Caribbean region engaged in informal employment, while in North America and Europe (excluding eastern Europe) the figures are 9·6% and 13%, respectively. From a global perspective, informal employment is a major challenge for sustained inclusive economic and social development, but also for public health. Due to the unregulated and unprotected nature of the informal economy, it is difficult to enforce public health actions and to provide access to quality social protection services. This is especially relevant for historically disadvantaged groups, who are more likely to participate in the informal economy than those who have a higher level of education and greater wealth. Those who are less educated, have less wealth, people aged 65 years or more, younger people aged 15-24 years, those living in rural areas, and women are disproportionately employed in the informal economy. Considering the complexity and heterogeneity of informal employment, single-cause explanations for informal employment should be avoided. ... Implementing comprehensive policy responses and transformative strategies that effectively address informal employment is urgently needed to progress towards inclusive and sustainable development, decent working and living conditions, and workers' and their families' wellbeing. Transition to employment formality might be reached by economic growth and the combination of strategies and policies, including extending social protection to all workers, increasing income of the informally employed, promoting social dialogue, training, and education, and strengthening institutions, such as labour inspections. Women's access to formal employment should also be prioritised. However, ensuring that all these policies are sustainable and independent of political and economic cycles is challenging. In the current social and economic context of Latin America and the Caribbean, informal employment will possibly continue to grow. The multi-causality of informal employment requires a collaborative and intersectoral approach to coordinate and strengthen policies and procedures related to social security, the labour market, health care, welfare, and labour inspection systems. We believe that any decision-making process to formalise employment and protect all workers should include all the relevant stakeholders (eg, workers, employers, local and regional government, and the broader civil society). [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Mental Health Occupational Health Disparities Psychosocial Factors SDOH Social Determinants Of Health Wellbeing Work Environment
• ISSN:
  0140-6736
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  402
• Issue:
  10410
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069700
• Citation:
  Lancet 2023 Oct; 402(10410):1309-1311
• Contact Point Address:
  Pamela Merino-Salazar, Facultad de Ciencias del Trabajo y Comportamiento Humano, Universidad Internacional SEK, Quito, Ecuador
• Email:
  pamela.merino@uisek.edu.ec
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  The Lancet
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e52220f2b41b9c85505aedac526023de9a75f88e7001273a9d5b597278066154e705b2a87832c477d7a416767930b72fc88f726d5752155a39885e2d7e723446
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208075/cdc_208075_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 640.25 KB ]