Working Paper No. 41 - Employment in the informal economy in the Republic of Moldova

In relation to the development of an employment survey, this paper produces statistics on employment in the informal economy in the Republic of Moldova. This paper contains an analysis of the main results obtained of the pilot survey and a statistical annex of tables with detailed data on employment in the informal sector and informal employment broken down by sex, urban/rural areas, branch of economic activity, occupations, status in employment and other variables.

Transition countries, such as the Republic of Moldova, have experienced a growth in the informal sector, which has become an essential part of the economy. It's important because it creates jobs, provides incomes to the population, and produces goods and services. There has also been an increase in informal employment, meaning it has become urgent to collect appropriate data on these sectors. Once data is collected, it can be analyzed to know its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product, how it affects specific groups employed in this sector, and what planning state support and assistance policies can be formulated to achieve workers' protection and decent work for all. Surveys were made in 2003 for the Republic of Moldova, and the paper analyzes them and makes suggestions on how to improve the surveys to give them more precision for the following year.