WIEGO Blog

What happens to informal employment during an economic crisis? The conventional wisdom is that the informal sector—which consists of small, unincorporated enterprises—acts as a safety net for vulnerable workers during periods of crisis. The assumption is often that job losses in formal sector industries lead to an increase in the number of workers who create their own work through informal self-employment.

By Sonia Dias and Ana Carolina Ogando

A menudo se ignora el hecho de que los recicladores y las recicladoras son capaces de expresar sus preocupaciones, responder a desafíos y contribuir a las ciudades y a la economía urbana. El recién publicado informe comparativo del Estudio de Monitoreo de la Economía Informal (EMEI) sobre los recicladores ha sacado a la luz pruebas que demuestran cuán relevantes estos trabajadores son para la gestión urbana de residuos sólidos en las ciudades en el Sur Global.

The fact that waste pickers are capable of voicing their concerns, responding to challenges, and contributing to cities and to the urban economy is very often ignored. The recently released Informal Economy Monitoring Study’s (IEMS) comparative report for waste pickers has brought to light evidence that shows how relevant these workers are to urban solid waste management in cities across the Global South.

Revaben and her husband Narsingbhai sell vegetables from the sidewalk along one of eight new model roads in Ahmedabad, India. Between about 9:00 in the morning and 9:00 in the evening, they sit on upside-down plastic crates amid huge mounds of fresh ginger, peppers, garlic, cilantro and green beans. Their eldest son sets out from the sidewalk in the morning to sell vegetables from a pushcart, and a daughter-in-law vends from a nearby spot on the pavement.