In the October–December 2025 quarter, the informal employment rate increased 0.4 percentage points (pp) year on year to stand at 26.8%, according to information from the latest Labour Informality Bulletin, which is produced by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

Meanwhile, the number of informally employed persons stood at 2,540,783, which represented an increase of 3.5% year on year.

The growth in the informally employed population was influenced by the rises in both women (4.5%) and men (2.7%). By age group, the growth can mainly be attributed to the rises in the brackets 35–44 years (9.8%) and 65 years and over (12.0%).

By economic sector, the growth can mainly be attributed to the increases in administrative and support services (25.3%), health activities (18.2%), and accommodation and food service (11.4%).

By occupational group, the main influences on the growth in informally employed persons were the rises in service and sales workers (5.5%) and technicians and associate professionals (26.3%).

By occupational category, the greatest influences on the increase in the informally employed were the rises in wage earners of the private sector (9.4%), own-account workers (1.5%), unpaid family workers (7.9%), and employers (9.2%), while the main decreases were in wage earners of the public sector (-9.6%) and domestic workers (-6.8%).

Own-account workers and wage earners of the private sector accounted for 86.4% of the total number of informally employed persons, and their informal employment rates were 64.0% and 16.7%, respectively.

The twelve-month increase in the number of informal own-account workers (1.5%) was influenced by the rises in women (2.6%) and men (0.6%). By economic sector, the most influential variations were in accommodation and food service (26.2%) and administrative and support services (13.2%).

When is someone informally employed?

Informally employed persons are dependent workers whose employment relationship does not provide access to social welfare benefits (health care and pension). The informally employed include those who work independently in a company, business, or activity that belongs to the informal sector. Unpaid family workers are also considered to be informally employed.

See:

Labour Informality Bulletin no. 33: October–December 2025