A central debate around labor market informality, which has enormous implications for the design and implementation of public policy, relates to the nature of informal employment. Is informal employment and, in particular, informal self-employment, a symptom and, at the same time, a reproductive factor of precariousness and inequality, as well as social and individual poverty? Or is it, on the contrary, a space of individual and social action that reflects economic initiative and business potential which, if channeled and fostered properly, could contribute to social and economic development and, consequently, to the reduction of inequality and poverty? In this article, the findings of the 2005 edition of the Mexican version of the World Value Survey-concerning relevant values and attitudes of informal participants in the labor force in Mexico-are used to assess whether informal self-employment is a reflection of incipient entrepreneurship and individual choice or, rather, a survival strategy forced on individuals by their precarious circumstances. This article explores the public policy implications of the results obtained.
<p>This paper explores the relationship between informal employment and the subjective well-being of informal employees and self-employed workers in Mexico. The main hypothesis is that labor informality has a significantly negative impact on the level of self-reported life satisfaction and happiness of individuals. This effect is sustained even when controlling for potentially determinant socio-demographic factors, in particular income. The module of self-reported well-being (BIARE) that was part of the National Household Spending Survey (ENGASTO), conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) during the first quarter of 2012 was used for this research. The module gathered, for the first time in Mexico, official statistics on life satisfaction and happiness. The results of the investigation show that informal employment is by itself a factor comparable to income in its influence on the perceived well-being of individuals.</p>
En este trabajo, investigamos el impacto que un área específica de la vida de los individuos, su trabajo u ocupación, tiene sobre su nivel de satisfacción con la vida y con el trabajo en particular. Analizamos la actividad laboral de los participantes en la fuerza de trabajo en México con base en cuatro de sus dimensiones fundamentales: sector de empleo (formal/informal); tipo de empleo (formal/informal); relación con los medios de producción (auto-empleado/subordinado) y tipo de actividad (cuello blanco/cuello azul). Con datos de la Encuesta Nacional de Gasto de los Hogares (ENGASTO) realizada por el INEGI en 2012, encontramos que –controlando por ingreso, edad, educación y otras variables relevantes- trabajar en el sector formal y tener un empleo formal tienen un impacto positivo sobre la satisfacción con la vida y con el trabajo; mientras que ser empleador impacta negativamente en estos dos tipos de satisfacción y el tipo de actividad que se realiza no incide significativamente en el bienestar subjetivo de los trabajadores.
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