El otro mundo
Periodista Portafolio14.01.2026 22:39 Actualizado: 14.01.2026 22:39
TL;DR
- Colombia has two parallel economies: formal (stable income, social security) and informal (precarious, no social safety net).
- Approximately 60% of Colombia's 24 million employed individuals work in the informal sector.
- A 23% increase in the minimum wage is predicted to widen the gap between these two sectors.
- Increased minimum wage makes formal employment more costly due to salary and non-salary expenses, potentially leading to less hiring and more informality.
- High informality is a significant societal problem with limited progress in addressing it.
- Proposed solutions include increased labor market flexibility, reduced salary and non-salary costs (through health and pension contribution reviews), and exploring regional or sectoral minimum wages.
- An agenda for productive inclusion is needed to support informal workers with associativity, financing, training, and digitalization.