Argentina's labor market faces growing precarisation, study warns

A new report by the Observatorio de la Deuda Social Argentina (ODSA) at the Universidad Católica Argentina warns that the country's labor market has become increasingly fragmented and precarious over the past fifteen years. Titled “Deterioro y resquebrajamiento de la estructura social del trabajo en la Argentina (2010‑2025)”, the study finds that while unemployment rates have remained relatively low, job quality has deteriorated as growth in natural‑resource, finance and business‑service sectors has not translated into sufficient employment. The report notes a shift toward low‑productivity occupations and a rise in informal, self‑employed work, stating, “Los sectores más dinámicos de la economía no tradujeron su crecimiento en puestos de trabajo suficientes para mejorar las oportunidades de acceso a empleos más productivos y bien remunerados.” It also criticises the current labor reform under President Javier Milei as unlikely to improve job quality. The authors recommend policies that promote sectors capable of generating formal jobs, targeted training, and incentives for productive innovation.