Common Problems of Back Door Neighbors: Social Security and Informal Employment in Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela (Executive Summary)

The causes of informality are many and range from imperfections in existing legislation and segmentation of the labor markets to macroeconomic adjustment programs and globalization. Some see in informality a mechanism for escaping unemployment, while for others it generates a spirit of entrepreneurship. The study has two objectives: i) To evaluate the degree of poverty and lack of social protection of informal workers in three of the region¿s countries: Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. ii) To recommend mechanisms for broadening social security and assistance coverage of informal workers in the selected countries.