Informal work is surging globally, with unemployment rising to 9.4% while informal employment reaches 27%, reshaping labor markets across Africa, Latin America, and beyond. Policymakers and businesses are grappling with how to regulate platform work, support micro-enterprises, and deliver decent work standards in economies where informal jobs now dominate.
·Informal employment climbing to 27% as traditional jobless rates hit 9.4%
·African economies treating informality as structural reality requiring policy rethink, not temporary problem
·Platform work and gig economy growth creating new informality challenges in countries like Chile
·Micro and small enterprises stuck in informal sector, blocked from formalization and growth
·Digital transformation potential offering pathway to bridge informal and formal retail sectors in Africa
drawn from Mexico Business News, Brookings, Sixteen:Nine, CEPR · updated 12h ago