economy
May 2, 2026
“Rebusque” generated 1.27 million jobs in four years and grew more than formal work
President Gustavo Petro and Minister of Labor, Antonio Sanguino, had a public event on Friday at the Parque de las Luces in Medellín. Taking advantage of the logistics deployed for the traditional Labor Day, they announced a Conpes with the roadmap for labor market transformations in the next 10 years. The truth is that they argued that the Executive has worked for the defense of dignified and fair work, but analysts recall that the most recent figures reveal that self-employed workers have grown 14% in the last 4 years.
TL;DR
- Unemployment in Colombia has reached 8.8%, its lowest since 2001.
- Self-employed jobs have grown by 14% in the last four years, surpassing the creation of formal jobs.
- Between March 2022 and March 2026, 1.27 million self-employed jobs were created, compared to 1.18 million formal jobs.
- Analysts link the rise in self-employment to informal work, lacking social benefits and security.
- The government has announced a 10-year Conpes policy (4189) with an investment of $1.82 trillion to improve labor conditions and reduce informality.
- The policy focuses on energy and digital transition, reducing labor gaps, strengthening labor rights, increasing social protection, and promoting social dialogue.
- Concerns exist that increased labor costs and the new labor law may be hindering formal job creation.
- Industry leaders question the decrease in informality rates alongside the growth of self-employment.