Labour and social policies in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic and its recovery

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_ried/ijds.11710

Keywords:

Latin America, COVID-19, labour policies, cash transfers, labour market

Abstract

This article examines key labour market trends during the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, and Uruguay, covering the period from its onset through 2022, and provides a comprehensive analysis of the policies implemented to mitigate its effects. It explores their influence on formal jobs, labour and household incomes, as well as institutional arrangements. By comparing pre-pandemic gaps in decent work and adequate income with the situation three years after the outbreak of the pandemic, this article assesses whether Latin American labour markets have moved closer to, or further away from, addressing persistent gaps in job quality, wage levels, and their distribution. Finally, it draws policy lessons from both the advances achieved and the challenges that remain in labour and income policies.

 

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Author Biography

  • Roxana Maurizio, Instituto interdisciplinario de Economía Política. Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, Universdidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET

    Investigadora Independiente, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina. Investigadora del Instituto Interdisciplinario de Economía Política (IIEP-BAIRES). Profesora Titular de Economía Laboral, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, UBA. Durante 2020-2022 fue especialista regional en economía laboral para la Organización Internacional del Trabajo. Entre 2018 y 2020 fue Subdirectora de la Carrera de Economía. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, UBA. Consultora para organizaciones nacionales e internacionales (OIT, CEPAL, Banco Mundial, PNUD). Sus áreas de interés son la economía laboral, la distribución del ingreso, la pobreza y las políticas sociales en América Latina. Ha publicado artículos (en revistas como Journal of Development and Change, International Review of Applied Economics, Journal of Income Distribution, Journal of Development Studies, Journal of Economic Inequality, International Social Security Review, International Labour Review) y libros sobre informalidad laboral, instituciones laborales, migración internacional, movilidad de los ingresos, desigualdad y la pobreza, y programas laborales y sociales. Posee una licenciatura en Economía, una Maestría en Economía y un Doctorado en Economía.

     

References

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Published

2026-04-23

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Section

Open forum

How to Cite

Maurizio, R., & Beccaria, L. (2026). Labour and social policies in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic and its recovery. Iberoamerican Journal of Development Studies, 1-45. https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_ried/ijds.11710