Overview
- In official data from INDEC, informal work reached 43% in the fourth quarter of 2025—about 9 million people—defined as jobs without social security or pension contributions, while unemployment rose to 7.5%.
- The share climbed across 2025, moving from 42% in the first quarter to about 43.2% in the second and 43.3% in the third before ending the year at 43%.
- Informality hits self‑employed workers hardest, with 63.3% of own‑account workers outside the system compared with 36.3% of employees, and the burden is higher for young and older workers and for women.
- By sector, the highest rates are in domestic service at 78% and construction at 73.8%, followed by hotels and restaurants at 59.7% and commerce at 52.6%, with far lower levels in teaching at 14% and in health and social services at 20.8%.
- In a regional contrast, Colombia’s statistics agency DANE reported a year‑over‑year decline in informality to 55.3% nationwide and 41.1% in 13 major cities for December 2025 to February 2026.