Argentina labor informality reaches 45% of workforce

A report by the University of Rosario, based on INDEC data, reveals that labor informality in Argentina reached 45% in the second quarter of 2026, up from 41.4% at the end of 2023. This trend is driven by a structural shift in the labor market: the share of salaried employees fell from 73.7% to 70.5%, while self-employed workers increased from 22.6% to 25.5%.

Informality is particularly high among the self-employed, with 65.8% working without registration. Among salaried workers, 37.9% do not make social security or pension contributions. The crisis is most acute in specific sectors, led by domestic service (77.4%) and construction (76.2%), followed by gastronomy and commerce.

Geographic disparities are significant. In northern urban centers, informality among self-employed workers exceeds 80%, including Formosa (87.9%), Gran Tucumán and Tafí Viejo (87.6%), and Santiago del Estero and La Banda (87.5%). In the Buenos Aires metropolitan area (AMBA), informality reaches 47.5% in the suburbs, while the city of Buenos Aires remains lower at 26%.