The number of informally employed persons increased 4.7% year on year, which is equivalent to a rise of 114,606 persons.
In the April–June 2026 quarter, the informal employment rate increased 1.0 percentage points (pp) year on year to stand at 27.0%, according to information from the latest Bulletin of Labour Informality, which is produced by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
In the same period, the number of informally employed persons rose 4.7% to stand at 2,537,804.
According to sex, the increase in the informally employed can be attributed to the expansion in women (6.6%) and men (3.2%). By age bracket, the main influences on the increase were in the rises in brackets 35–44 years (12.3%) and 65 years and over (10.4%).
By economic sector, the increase in the informally employed population can mainly be attributed to the rises in commerce (6.8%) and administrative and support services (21.0%).
By occupational group, the main influences on the twelve-month increase in informally employed persons (4.7%) were the rises in service and sales workers (8.0%) and elementary occupations (5.0%).
By occupational category, the increase in the informally employed can mainly be attributed to own-account workers (7.2%), wage earners of the private sector (4.1%), and employers (37.4%). In contrast, decreases were observed in domestic workers (-7.8%), wage earners of the public sector (-5.7%), and unpaid family workers (-1.2%).
Own-account workers and wage earners of the private sector accounted for 86.7% of the total number of informally employed persons, and their informal employment rates were 64.3% and 16.2%, respectively.
The year-on-year increase in informal own-account workers (7.2%) was influenced by the expansion in women (12.8%) and men (3.0%). By activity, the most influential increases were in administrative and support services (28.0%) and transport (21.8%).
When is someone informally employed?
Informally employed persons are dependent workers whose employment relationship does not provide access to social welfare benefits (healthcare 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. 35: April–June 2026 (English translation)