Argentina retirees enter informal labor market in record numbers

More than 22,000 retirees in Argentina have entered the informal labor market over the past year due to a loss of purchasing power following social spending cuts under President Javier Milei.

According to data from the Instituto Argentina Grande (IAG), which utilizes INDEC and EPH microdata, the rate of ‘blue unemployment’ among individuals aged 66 and older reached 12.6% in the first quarter of the year, a record high since 2017. The IAG defines ‘extended unemployed’ as seniors who are actively seeking work but have worked very few hours in unprotected activities, such as those without social security contributions or formal seniority.

Research by Candelaria Rueda of the IAG indicates that approximately 68,700 seniors are currently seeking work when combining official and extended unemployment figures. The number of retirees engaged in unprotected labor rose to 7.7% in the first quarter of 2026, compared to 3.8% during the same period in 2025.