Overview
- More than 21% of people with jobs—about 4.5 million—do not earn enough to pay for the basic consumption basket, according to Ieral.
- Poverty is concentrated in precarious roles: 40.5% of unregistered independents and 37.5% of informal salaried workers are poor, versus 12.3% of registered independents and 9.7% of formal employees.
- The burden is heaviest in provinces with pervasive informality, led by Tucumán, San Juan, Salta, Santiago del Estero and Formosa.
- Children are especially exposed, with poverty at 45.4% for those under 14; the AUH reaches over 4 million minors yet often does not lift households above the line.
- The authors urge policies to boost job quality through technical training, formalization and incentives to hire in higher‑value activities.