Beyond the Crisis: Economic globalization and informal work in urban Argentina

During the economic crisis in Argentina that peaked in 2002, rates of informal work rose to levels higher than those at any other time during the previous 60 years. Drawing on interviews with informal workers conducted in 2002, I address the connection of this informal work not only to the crisis conditions in the country at the time, but also to broader shifts in the nature of work in Argentina. In particular, I argue that a lack of availability of formal work, an increase in probationary employment, and an increase in contractual arrangements were all crucial components of the dependence on informal work seen during the crisis of 2002. Making sense of the experience of contemporary informal work in Argentina thus requires an acknowledgement of history of globalization of the Argentine economy, which was brought about in large part through the implementation of neoliberal policies that began in the 1980s and continue today.