На пути к формализации трудовых отношений: структурный вызов для Перу, Оскар Фернандес Касерес

*Автор является действующим министром труда и занятости. Неформальная занятость на протяжении десятилетий является одной из основных структурных проблем нашей экономики. Сегодня 7 из 10 работников в Перу заняты в неформальном секторе. Это означает, что более 12 миллионов человек работают без доступа к социальной защите и с меньшими возможностями. После достижения уровня около 77% в 2021 году в результате пандемии, по данным INEI, неформальная занятость постепенно сократилась до уровня около 70,6% в период с октября 2024 года по сентябрь 2025 года. Это улучшение, которое в основном связано с восстановлением нашей экономики, открывает нам возможность для продвижения структурных реформ на рынке труда, с тем чтобы закрепить устойчивое и долгосрочное сокращение неформальной занятости. Поэтому мы должны четко понимать: неформальная занятость не исправляется сама по себе и не с помощью отдельных мер. Она требует комплексного и устойчивого подхода. Для этого одним из первых шагов является признание того, что неформальная занятость не является однородной. В Перу сосуществуют различные формы неформальной занятости, имеющие разные причины и решения. Из общего числа неформальных работников 47 % являются самозанятыми, многие из них занимаются деятельностью, обеспечивающей пропитание, а 35 % являются наемными работниками частного сектора, в основном в микропредприятиях (3,4 млн человек). Together, these two groups account for more than 80% of informal employment in the country. Added to this is the phenomenon of unpaid family workers, especially in rural areas and low-productivity activities. This heterogeneity requires us to design differentiated responses, with a strong territorial and productive focus. In this regard, a revealing fact about our economy is that the informal sector generates only 18% of the gross domestic product. This highlights a deep productivity gap between the formal and informal sectors. In other words, informality is not only a problem of compliance, but also of actual capacity to generate income. When productivity is low, wages are also low, and in this context, it becomes unfeasible for companies and workers to bear the costs of formality. International comparisons confirm this reality. Given Peru's income level, informality should be around 50% (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean – ECLAC), but it remains close to 70%. In other words, we have an “excess of informality” of almost 20 percentage points, explained by structural problems of productivity and productive development. Along the same lines, special labor regimes for micro and small enterprises, which have a slight increase in the cost of monthly remuneration, are also insufficient unless productivity is improved. Hence the importance of diversifying the productive structure, strengthening value chains, and integrating micro and small enterprises into formal markets, which allows for the creation of more stable jobs with rights. There will be no greater formalization without productive transformation; labor formalization must accompany business development actions, productive linkages, and market access. A strategic element for coordinating multisectoral efforts and promoting business and labor formality are the country's logistics chains. Fifty-two logistics chains have been identified and prioritized, grouping together the most representative productive segments of both foreign trade and the domestic market, including products such as avocados, coffee, grapes, asparagus, onions, legumes, and tubers, among others. These chains not only move products, but also integrate productive agents, transporters, collectors, and markets, and cross multiple regions, generating added value and connecting producers with national and international markets. The coordination of efforts around these chains can be a starting point for increasing productivity, strengthening business capacities, and expanding formal employment opportunities in multiple territories of the country. In this context, strengthening human capital is essential for improving productivity and reducing informality. Most informal workers have at most a basic education, and the highest rates of informality are concentrated among young people and workers in rural areas. In this regard, it is essential to strengthen all interventions that promote job training aligned with market demand, certification of skills acquired through experience, dual training and first formal employment, as well as the use of digital tools to expand training coverage. Without trained human capital, formalization is not sustainable. In this context, we have a Multisectoral Commission for Labor Formalization as a permanent forum for coordination between State sectors and levels of government. This Commission has been working on a comprehensive labor formalization strategy that jointly addresses productivity, employment, social protection, productive development, and a culture of formality. The objective is clear: to have a technical, realistic, and consensual roadmap that can be continued and strengthened. Informality cannot be reduced overnight. It requires perseverance, agreements, and a vision for the country. We are moving forward with responsibility and realism, convinced that formalization means inclusion, protection, and building a future for the country.