Social Assistance for Informal workers

This paper exposes the measures extended to informal workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study analyzes two South-American countries which have a high percentage of informality, Colombia and Brazil. We study the implications of the expansion of the social assistance programs of these two countries, exposing their weakness and strengths to mitigate the pandemic adverse effects. The evidence provided by this research makes us believe that the perseverance of the informal worker's inclusion in cash transfers programs can be a powerful tool to mitigate inequalities in the labor market.