Working in Venezuela: How the Crisis has Affected the Labor Conditions

Abstract

Background:Venezuela, the country with the largest oil reserves in the world, is facing the worst economic, social and political crisis in its history; which has notably affected the quality of life of the workforce and the entire population.Objectives:Identify and analyze the main social factors derived from the Venezuelan crisis, which are affecting the workers’ health and working conditions.Methods:Document study. Several sources of information from the last twenty years were consulted, ranging from public statistics and reports, newspaper articles, and results of scientific research. The information gathered was carefully studied to ensure that only reliable sources were used to ultimately reach valid conclusions.Results:Both workers from the formal and informal sector and their families are struggling to fulfill their basic needs. Low salaries and soaring inflation have resulted in a dramatic reduction in the purchasing power of the people. General violence and high prices of basic goods are some of the major problems affecting workers both inside and outside of their working environment. Being a formal employee is no longer a guarantee for an acceptable quality of life. As a result, over 1.6 million Venezuelans have left their country since 2015 in a migration crisis never seen before in Latin America.Conclusion:Quality of life and wellbeing of most of the Venezuelan population has being deteriorated in the last 5 years and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) is not a priority for enterprises in the middle of the economic emergency and general deterioration of daily life.Despite the relevance of this problem, research on the subject is very limited. Recent and pertinent data is needed to properly identify and measure the risks and negative consequences that workers and families are exposed caused by the ongoing crisis.

Financial Insecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Spillover Effects on Burnout–Disengagement Relationships and Performance of Employees Who Moonlight

“…The results support existing findings that found multiple job-holders’ susceptibility to crushing concerns about their financial situation, exhaustion, burnout, and overall disengagement ( Sliter and Boyd, 2014 ; Bouwhuis et al, 2018 ). Similar observations were made on the nature of an economic crisis, which plays the role of a macro stressor that consolidates different economic stressors of employees, namely, financial distress and job instability or loss, all of which could trigger the onset of an extended state of stress that eventually leads to psychological distress and burnout ( Caraballo-Arias et al, 2018 ; Giorgi et al, 2020 ; Sigursteinsdottir et al, 2020 ). Following the conservation of resources (COR) theory that predicts loss spirals ( Hobfoll, 2011 ), an employee’s exhaustion may deplete resources, thereafter disengaging further in work ( Toppinen-Tanner et al, 2002 ; Diestel and Schmidt, 2010 ; Tauhed et al, 2019 ).…”

The Consequences of COVID-19 and Other Disasters for Wildlife and Biodiversity

“…The channels of impacts on wildlife parallel the short term effects of the pandemic: high resource extraction, poaching and high bushmeat demand by displaced people; disruption of food supply networks; reduced household investments; and reduced ability of local governments and NGOs to manage conservation areas in the face of lost tourism revenue and international support. Similarly, major political crises in Latin America have contributed to poor rural governance and mass emigration, leading to higher rates of land clearance and resource extraction (Wolff 2007;Caraballo-Arias et al 2018;Combaz 2020).…”

“…Similarly, major political crises in Latin America have contributed to poor rural governance and mass emigration, leading to higher rates of land clearance and resource extraction (Wolff 2007 ; Caraballo-Arias et al. 2018 ; Combaz 2020 ).…”

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Venezuela's Nighttime Light During the Socioeconomic Crisis

“…Based on Table III, we are interested in the impact of the oil products of the refinery on nighttime light dynamics. In Table IV, we found only six refineries that were run by PDVSA Company had public-accessible product information, all derived from the official website of PDVSA 1 .…”

“…OF 30 REFINERIES AND THEIR NLCR (PDVSA IS THE VENEZUELA STATE-OWNED COMPANY, NLCR DENOTES NIGHTTIME LIGHT CHANGE RATIO)1 The Mann-Kendall trend test of nighttime light change: Down (P < 0.01);2 The Mann-Kendall trend test: Up (P < 0.01).…”