Topic: Labor Conditions in Latin Nations

Introduction

Long after the recession resulted in the application of structural adjustment policies in most countries, the economies of Latin America began to recover since the late nineties. Current estimates indicate that the region, a deposit of the twentieth century achieved a 4.3% increase in GDP which has seen an increase in wages (by 1.2% in the industrial wage and 0.5% in the minimum wage) as a result of low and declining rate of inflation. But the unemployment rate will remain less.

The estimated number of unemployed in the region of Latin America are about 19 ??million, and are usually the youth groups and women, especially youth workers who have doubled rates of unemployment. Increased rates of employment without contracts also increased the number of cases of violation of employment laws, and it happened even though the stated goals of the reforms and flexibility of labor laws reduce the incidence of employment. The number of jobs in the informal sector in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru were more than 50% of the total jobs (Taubman & Wachter, 1986).

One reason for increased employment in the informal sector was that the cost was still high, especially for enterprises and small enterprises, which were the most dynamic sectors in job creation during the nineties.

Discussion

What Is Needed Is To Provide Good Jobs

The main objective in the early stage of economic stabilization and structural adjustment during the nineties was to increase economic efficiency and balance. Now, a growing belief in Latin America is that of peace and social welfare which depends to a large extent on the economic stability, and generates employment opportunities. There are already a number of case studies performed on the strategies that led to increased production efficiency by creating stable employment contracts of long-term. It also led to job stability arrangements which enabled companies to improve training programs for a large proportion of its workers and the reorganization of their production to increase their competitiveness (Ravallion, 1986).

It should not be interpreted that the debate currently circulating about the stability of employment is an expression of guarantee, it is actually an expression of a growing belief that the modern society is capable of competition and the justice prevails must provide good jobs. In other words jobs not only increase production capacity, but also offer higher wages, and benefits and better working conditions. This belief is the currently prevailing among a large number of workers in Latin America.

Legislation for Creating good jobs in Latin America

The past decade has seen many countries of Latin America enter the significant changes to labor legislation in order to become more capable of fierce competition in global markets integrated. However, it is an exaggeration to claim that labor legislation in Latin America has changed completely from the legislation which was to ensure employment opportunities for everyone throughout his life to a system which is more flexible.

The legal amendments for the achievement of flexibility which affected the benefits of labor is aimed primarily to reduce labor costs, ...