Beyond informal employment: Stagnation and disguised employment in Brazil

Carolina Troncoso Baltar, Esther Dweck, Marília Bassetti Marcato and Camila Unis Krepsky

Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 2025, vol. 74, issue C, 814-828

Abstract: This study analyses the Brazilian labour market from 2014 to 2019, focusing on the impact of the country's growth pattern on rising informal and self-employment. After a period of economic growth, Brazil faced a recession (2015–2016) and stagnation (2016–2019). Austerity-driven reforms were implemented, weakening policies aimed at stimulating growth, reducing unemployment, and improving formalization. Using structural decomposition analysis within a demand-driven input-output model, the study examines how changes in demand components affected employment by sector, formalization, and occupational status. Key findings reveal that the slow economic recovery, characterized by limited investment and government spending, led to a significant shift from formal to informal employment and self-employment, especially in service sectors. While discussing the diversity hidden within the occupational category of self-employed workers, the research also explores the specific characteristics of this category, providing insights to understand possible disguised employment as part of a structural transformation.

Keywords: Informality; Disguised employment; Input–output models (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C67 E2 O17 O54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:streco:v:74:y:2025:i:c:p:814-828

DOI: 10.1016/j.strueco.2025.06.009

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