Macroeconomic, decent work and social justice: some reflections on the Latin America experience

MAURIZIO, ROXANA

Ginebra

Congreso; Human Rights in the Global Economy: A Colloquium; 2010

International Council on Human Rights Policy

The high economic growth experienced in Latin America in recent years has had a positive impact on social and labour indicators. However, the region continues to be characterized by high inequality, poverty and social vulnerability. At the same time, the region still poses serious problems in the labour market, including high unemployment, underemployment, precariousness and informality. This, in turn, infringes basic human rights such as access to food, education, health and housing. One of the factors directly related to economic and social deprivation is the high level of inequality of opportunities that still persists in these countries. Inequality continues to be one of the features of LACS. A significantly precarious labour market in the context of a very limited social safety nets lies behind the high poverty rates and inequality. Unemployment and precariousness reinforce each other: on the one hand, the insufficient coverage of unemployment insurance compels individuals who do not have a job in the formal sector to quickly resort to other labour alternatives such as precarious jobs or own-account activities; on the other hand, this kind of jobs are very unstable and derive in intense flows to unemployment. Therefore, it is needed to carry out different policies in order to reduce inequality and poverty, both through labour market policies and others of a more universal type. A central aim of the labour market strategies should be to reduce the share of informal and precarious employment, both stimulating the creation of formal jobs and assisting the less skilled workers in increasing their chances of getting these kinds of jobs. Additionally, the region should achieve a full integration of all public policies in order to build a consistent system of social protection which should, in turn, be integrated to the productive policies.