During the 2000s and early 2010s, Latin America experienced a process of significant improvement in the labour market. The countries of the region, However, still suffer from remarkable deficits in their labour markets and in their generation and distribution of income. In addition to informality, non-standard forms of employment affect a large number of wage-earners. This paper analyses three of such kinds of employment: part-time, temporary and triangular employment. The analysis is carried out for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. We estimate its incidence among total wage-earners and in different subgroups of workers, we analyse its evolution during the last decade and we assess the extent to which these non-standard forms of employment are a source of wage gaps and precarious labour conditions.

Many of the rules that govern labor markets in Latin America (and elsewhere) raise labor costs, create barriers to entry, and introduce rigidities in the employment structure. These include the exceedingly restrictive regulations on hiring and firing practices, as well as burdensome social insurance schemes. Such labor market regulations contribute to an over-expansion of precarious forms of employment and to rural poverty, and hinder countries from responding rapidly to new challenges from increased foreign competition. At the same time, other norms can reduce costs and raise productivity; they should be kept in place and their enforcement improved. For example, some occupational health and safety standards lower medical costs and save lives. One may also want to keep legislation aimed at providing a minimum social insurance for unemployment, old age, sickness, and disabilities. In practice, the most common decision that governments confront is not whether to intervene but to choose among different forms of intervention. This volume provides analysts and policymakers with useful insights on this issue. Part I addresses labor market institutions in a broader context, such as collective bargaining arrangements, minimum wages and poverty, and optimal unemployment insurance schemes. Part II analyzes labor market performance in Latin America, the links between performance and labor market regulations, and the status of labor market reform in the region. These questions are addressed for the region as a whole and in great detail for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Colombia. The book provides a comprehensive description of the existing labor institutions in Latin America, the problems they pose, and the trends in labor market reforms as well as the difficulties encountered by the reform process in specific cases. In addition to the editors, the contributors are Edward Amadeo, Jose Marcio Camargo, Alejandra Cox Edwards, Rene Cortazar, Enriqu

Law and Employment analyzes the effects of regulation and deregulation on Latin American labor markets and presents empirically grounded studies of the costs of regulation. Numerous labor regulations that were introduced or reformed in Latin America in the past thirty years have had important economic consequences. Nobel Prize-winning economist James J. Heckman and Carmen Pagés document the behavior of firms attempting to stay in business and be competitive while facing the high costs of complying with these labor laws. They challenge the prevailing view that labor market regulations affect only the distribution of labor incomes and have little or no impact on efficiency or the performance of labor markets. Using new micro-evidence, this volume shows that labor regulations reduce labor market turnover rates and flexibility, promote inequality, and discriminate against marginal workers. Along with in-depth studies of Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Jamaica, and Trinidad, Law and Employment provides comparative analysis of Latin American economies against a range of European countries and the United States. The book breaks new ground by quantifying not only the cost of regulation in Latin America, the Caribbean, and in the OECD, but also the broader impact of this regulation.

This report addresses the organization, nature, and prospects for labor law enforcement in Central America and the Dominican Republic. The report draws a distinction between the Anglo-American approach to enforcement, which is rooted in deterrence and punishment, and the Latin alternative, which is rooted in conciliation and training. And it argues that the Latin approach is better able to reconcile the labor force's need for protection with the economy's demand for flexibility. Finally, the report reviews recent changes in the sub-region's labor inspection systems. Publishing Agency: United Nations (UN).