Overview
- Global network WIEGO estimates more than 13 million Peruvians—72% of the economically active population—work without formal protections.
- The ILO’s Labor Outlook 2025 finds 46.7% of workers in Latin America and the Caribbean are in informal employment, even as unemployment hovered near 6% in the first half of 2025.
- WIEGO’s Peru analysis emphasizes urban concentration, drawing on a Lima street‑vendor survey that highlights heavy care responsibilities on women and increased entry into vending since the pandemic.
- Both reports identify sharper disadvantages for women and youth, with women’s participation about 22 points lower than men’s and 56% of young workers in informal jobs.
- The organizations cite structural barriers and weak policy responses in Peru, warning that vague electoral plans and high informality could complicate goals such as OECD accession.