Minuto30.com .- Although Colombia celebrates a “historic” unemployment rate of 7.0%, the figure is accompanied by a worrying asterisk that defines the reality of millions of households: the Labor Informality Rate stood at 55.4% for November 2025.

This means that, of every 10 people who appear as “employed” in surveys, more than 5 work in the informal sector. They are Colombians who, although they generate income, lack contractual stability, do not fully contribute to social security, health and pension, and their income depends on day-to-day work.

Read also: Unemployment falls to 7% in Colombia while the minimum wage rises and more taxes come

X-ray of Informality: Where are the informals?

The phenomenon of informality is not distributed equally throughout the country. The DANE report shows a deep gap between large cities and rural areas:

In the 13 main cities: Informality is lower, standing at 41.3%. Here formal employment in offices, factories and registered services has greater weight.

In Populated and Dispersed Rural Centers: The panorama changes drastically, with a rate that is around 84.0%. In the countryside, “scavenging” and self-employment without legal registration are the norm.

Sectors with greater “research”

The sectors that have most driven the decline in unemployment this year are, curiously, those that absorb the most informality:

Agriculture: A large part of the 312 thousand new jobs in the countryside are informal.

TOaccommodation and food services: The tourism boom has generated employment, but much of it occurs in small businesses or temporary services without benefits.

Retail trade: The sector that traditionally supports the informal economy in the streets of cities such as Medellín, Bogotá and Cali.

What does this mean for the future?

For experts, an informality rate of 55.4% is a challenge for the pension system in the long term. Although there are fewer people looking for work (low unemployment), the quality of that work remains precarious.

Key indicators of informality in November 2025:

Social security: Less than 45% of the total employed make effective contributions to health and pension simultaneously.

Microbusiness: 90% of informal employment is concentrated in business units of up to 5 people (street sales, home workshops, domestic services).

Regional gap: While Bogotá has one of the lowest informality rates (close to 33%), cities like Quibdó and Sincelejo exceed 65%.

The challenge of 2026 will not only be to lower unemployment, but to transform that “research” into decent employment, with social security and stability for Antioquia and Colombian families, and with a 23% increase in the minimum wage, will it be the solution?

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