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Mercado Laboral, Pobreza y Protección Social

Recconciling opposing views towards labour informality. The case of Colombia and South Africa

The analysis of labour markets in Colombia and South Africa provides a framework of informality broad enough to understand the complex phenomenon of informality. Both South Africa and Colombia are upper-middle income countries struggling to break out of the middle-income trap. While both countries have similar levels of per capita income and inequality, South Africa stands out for having relatively high levels of unemployment and low levels of informal employment, whereas Colombia has a lower rate of unemployment but persistently high levels of informality.

Fernández, Cristina · Lilenstein, Kezia · Oosthuizen, Morné · Villar, Leonardo

Enero de 2017

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Resumen

The analysis of labour markets in Colombia and South Africa provides a framework of informality broad enough to understand the complex phenomenon of informality. Both South Africa and Colombia are upper-middle income countries struggling to break out of the middle-income trap. While both countries have similar levels of per capita income and inequality, South Africa stands out for having relatively high levels of unemployment and low levels of informal employment, whereas Colombia has a lower rate of unemployment but persistently high levels of informality.

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