2014. The ILO in Latin America and The Caribbean. Advances and Perspectives.

This third annual report on progress and perspectives of the ILO in Latin America and the Caribbean, prepared by the ILO Regional Office, is a continuation of the ones published in June 2012 and June 2013. Taken together, the three documents show steady, if uneven, progress in labour market policies, programmes and institutions, and that the ILO has been adjusting their strategies to focus on the key challenges faced by the region.

The period covered by these reports, 2011 to 2014, is coincident with the last years of a decade of continuous growth, interrupted only by the 2009 crisis, which had a positive effect on labour market indicators, as shown especially by the decrease of unemployment. Progress in the quality of work has been less impressive, as evidenced by the slow reduction of informality and slight improvement in the coverage of social protection. Worryingly, almost half of those employed in the cities of the region still have informal jobs, and 3 in 10 workers have no social security coverage in health and pensions. The increase in youth unemployment in 2013 and the generally poor quality of jobs for young people are also warning signs that require deepening and accelerating action.