UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE
GROUP OF EXPERTS ON QUALITY OF EMPLOYMENT
MEETING MAY 2024
APPROACH TO THE QUALITY OF EMPLOYMENT IN DEPENDENT
CONTRACTORS IN THREE CITIES OF MEXICO
INEGI MEXICO
Ana Lilia Cambrón Muñoz*
* The paper was prepared with the collaboration of Georgina García Vilchis, Sandra Rosalía Ruiz de
los Santos and Juan Trejo Magos, who also work at INEGI México.
Content
Presentation ...................................................................................................................... 3
1. Labor Force Survey (LFS) 2023 ................................................................................. 3
2. Definition and measurement of dependent contractors .............................................. 4
3. Relationship of dependent contractors in the use of digital platforms ......................... 7
4. Informality in dependent contractors........................................................................... 9
5. Quality in the employment of dependent contractors ................................................ 11
5.1 Safety and ethics of employment ............................................................................ 11
5.2 Income and benefits from employment. .................................................................. 12
5.3 Working time and work-life balance ........................................................................ 13
5.4 Security of employment and social protection ......................................................... 14
5.5 Social dialogue ....................................................................................................... 14
5.6 Skills development and training .............................................................................. 14
5.7 Employment-related relationships and work motivation .......................................... 15
6. Final comments ........................................................................................................ 16
Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 18
Presentation
This paper offers an approach to the quality of employment in dependent contractors in three
cities in Mexico, as well as its relationship with labor informality and employment linked to
digital platform, based on the 2023 Labor Force Survey (LFS). The first section describes
the general aspects of the reference source; the second presents the definition of dependent
contractors, their measurement and results; the third section addresses employment linked
to digital platforms and its relationship with dependent contractors; the fourth section deals
with dependent contractors and informality; while the fifth section offers a global vision of
dependent contractors, labor informality, the use of digital platform and quality of
employment and finally some conclusions are stated.
1. Labor Force Survey (LFS) 2023
The Labor Force Survey (LFS) 2023 is the second experimental exercise whose purpose
was to have statistics on the labor force updated to the latest international recommendations
emanating from International Conferences of Labour Statisticians (ICLS). The central
objective of this second exercise was to test the design of the survey on a mobile device
using the institutional technological infrastructure and take advantage of the experience of
the first exercise carried out in 2019 in which the design of the workforce questionnaire was
tested with a direct informant. It is worth mentioning that these exercises do not replace the
National Occupation and Employment Survey, which is the main source of information on
the labor force in Mexico.
The design of the LFS 2023, in addition to updating the conceptual framework of the
workforce to the 19th ICLS, incorporates in its design the identification of dependent
contractors raised in the resolution on work relationships of the 20th ICLS and fundamental
aspects to measure labor informality associated with said dependent contractors, as well as
its link with the use of digital platforms based on the Handbook on Measuring Digital Platform
Employment and Work (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD],
International Labor Organization [ILO], Eurostat, 2023); and quality in employment, taking
as reference the Handbook on Measuring Quality of Employment (United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe [UNECE], 2015).
The LFS 2023 was carried out during the first quarter of 2023 in a sample of 6 thousand
homes in the cities of Saltillo, Coahuila, in the north of the country; in Toluca, state of Mexico,
in the center; and in Oaxaca, Oaxaca, in the south; applied on a mobile device and in each
selected dwelling a person aged 15 or older was interviewed directly. The sampling design
used was probabilistic, stratified and by clusters, in the first stage the primary sampling units
were selected, in the second the dwelling and in the third stage a person aged 15 or over,
using a random selection incorporated into the mobile device system.
2. Definition and measurement of dependent contractors
Resolution I of the 20th ICLS defines dependent contractors as workers who have
contractual arrangements of a commercial nature (but not a contract of employment) to
provide goods or services for or through another economic unit. They are not employees of
that economic unit, but are dependent on that unit for organization and execution of the
work, income, or for access to the market. They are workers employed for profit, who are
dependent on another entity that exercises control over their productive activities and
directly benefits from the work performed by them.
a. Their dependency may be of an operational nature, through organization of the work
and/or of an economic nature such as through control over access to the market, the
price for the goods produced or services provided, or access to raw materials or
capital items.
b. The economic units on which they depend may be market or non-market units and
include corporations, governments and non-profit institutions which benefit from a
share in the proceeds of sales of goods or services produced by the dependent
contractor, and/or benefit when the work performed by dependent contractors may
otherwise be performed by its employees.
Dependent contractors, as also establishes the resolution, are employed for profits and their
payment is the result of a commercial transaction and not a salary or wage. In addition, they
are responsible for paying their social insurance and other social contribution; and have any
of the following characteristics:
a. their work is organized or supervised by another economic unit as a client, or as an
entity that mediates access to clients
b. the price paid for the goods produced or services provided is determined by the client
or an intermediary
c. access to raw materials, equipment or capital items is controlled by the client or an
intermediary
d. their actual working arrangements or conditions closely resemble those of
employees
Dependent contractors share characteristics of employees and self-employed workers, so
their identification requires detailed investigation of the dependence of a productive unit on
its form of operation and connection with the market. Based on the above, two groups are
configured, that of dependent contractors analogous to employees and that of those
analogous to self-employed workers.
Dependent contractors analogous to employees include those who, going through a history
of employed workers, recognize the existence of a boss or superior but their form of
remuneration is different from a salary or wage that characterizes the employees, that is,
their income is in form of fees, tips, commission, piece-rate payment or daily wage as that
of a self-employed worker, excluding those workers in which the employer pays their social
security or withhold income tax, which are elements that define employees, the universe
being limited to workers who directly pay their social security contributions or taxes for their
economic activity; or, they do not comply with any legal obligation derived from it.
Dependent contractors analogous to employees:
As for dependent contractors analogous to self-employed workers, the identification
strategy, once they enter a self-employed trajectory, is a two-stage approach. The first stage
focuses on establishing dependence on clients or some intermediary company for access
to the market for goods and services. The second stage explores whether the third entity
determines the marketing policy (sets prices, sales and/or routes) or exercises control over
the process (decides or provides suppliers, applications or platforms, raw materials, inputs,
machinery and equipment, facilities, credits and/or vehicles). The marketing policy is the first
criterion to identify dependent contractors, followed by process control and finally the
dependence on a union or intermediary to carry out the activity.
Next, the strategy for identifying dependent contractors analogous to self-employed workers
is described, starting with the form of market access as the first stage and then presenting
the role of the intermediary economic unit in the economic control of the process:
a) Market access through a client
When market access is through a single client, the type of client is identified. If the client is
a company, business, institution, association or intermediary; the first thing that is
investigated is the marketing policy; and is classified as a dependent contractor when the
client establishes the price of the product or service, the minimum amount of sales or
operations, the place, routes, areas or suppliers with which to work; otherwise, the client's
process control investigation proceeds. If the client is an individual, the investigation focuses
directly on the control of the process, first investigating whether to carry out its economic
activity, it pays any rate or installments to a union or group or agent, and identifying in which
cases there is an operational dependence on said intermediary by providing vehicle,
facilities, supplies, loans or credits to operate.
b) Access to the market with more than one client
When access to the market is with more than one client, it is first identified if a company or
intermediary sends the majority of these, to subsequently determine if the intermediary entity
establishes any marketing policy or exercises any control in the operation of the business or
activity. When the employed person meets any of these criteria, they are classified as a
dependent contractor.
c) Access to the market through a third entity promoting or manufacturing its products
In self-employed workers who promote or manufacture products or services from a single
company or enterprise, it is said that there is a brand dependency, because they seek clients
on behalf of a third unit and when said entity sets the marketing policy or exercises control
over the resources that affect the process, it is said to be a dependent contractor.
The possibilities raised to identify dependent contractors analogous to self-employed
workers in the LFS are summarized when access to the market:
a. It is determined by an individual and in order to operate, a fee is paid to a union,
agent or individual who provides a vehicle, facilities, supplies or credits.
b. It is through a company or intermediary, which sets the marketing and/or operation
policies.
c. It is with a company or intermediary that provides the majority of clients and said
entity determines the marketing and/or operation policies.
d. It is linked to the brand or product of a company or intermediary that determines the
marketing and/or operation policies.
Dependent contractors analogous to self-employed workers
Self-employed
Business or company
intermediary
A single client No clients More than one clients
Client type
Pay a installments to a union,
association or intermediary
Intermediary provides vehicle,
facilities, loans or credits
Intermediary sets price, routes, sales
or suppliers
Intermediary provides application or
platform, materials, machinery,
equipment, facilities, vehicle, inputs
Dependent contractor
Self-employed
Client sent by another EU
A private individual
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
Promote products or
services
Manufacturing
products or services
• Company or business
• Institution or association
• Intermediary
Yes
Market access
Marketing policy
Operating policy
Yes
It doesn't promote,
nor manufacturing
In the LFS 2023, 147.8 thousand dependent contractors were identified 2, a figure equivalent
to 3.9 % of the employed population in the cities of Saltillo, Toluca and Oaxaca; being
61.4 % men and 38.6 % women. Likewise, 36.3 % were analogous self-employed workers
and 63.7 % analogous to employees.
In the composition by sex, dependent contractors in Saltillo were 48.9 % men and 51.1 %
women; while in Oaxaca and Toluca the percentages of men, with 60.3 % and 71.4 %,
respectively, were higher than that of women. Regarding the division according to the city
of origin, it was similar, with around 4 out of every ten being self-employed and six out of ten
being employees.
Employed population and dependent contractors by city, Table 1
by sex and type of dependent contractor
Cities
Employed
population
Dependent contractors
Total
Sex Type
Men Women
Analogous self-
employed
Analogues to
employees
Total 1,215,306
47,817 29,375 18,442 17,368 30,449
3.9 % 61.4 % 38.6 % 36.3 % 63.7 %
Saltillo 418,061
12,954 6,331 6,623 4,628 8,326
3.1 % 48.9 % 51.1 % 35.7 % 64.3 %
Toluca 521,936
18,100 12,930 5,170 6,759 11,341
3.5 % 71.4 % 28.6 % 37.3 % 62.7 %
Oaxaca 275,309
16,763 10,114 6,649 5,981 10,782
6.1 % 60.3 % 39.7 % 35.7 % 64.3 %
Source: INEGI. Labor Force Survey, 2023. Preliminary data.
3. Relationship of dependent contractors in the use of digital
platforms
The resolution on statistics on labor relations of the 20th ICLS raises the need to collect
additional information to complement and characterize the categories of labor relations
through the so-called transversal variables, with the aim of covering different types of work.
such as employment on digital platforms, for which the UNECE Handbook on Measuring
Digital Platform Employment and Work provides guidance.
Employment on digital platforms is that carried out through an online tool or an application
that relates the supply and demand of employment. Digital platforms are digital interfaces
that generate economic and/or social value, which serve as direct or indirect intermediaries
between three agents (the owner of the platform, the service provider and the end user of
the goods and services produced); who provide services and tools that remain with the
owner economic unit, thus exercising certain control over the productive activities carried
out by the provider and monitoring the work process on the digital platform (OECD, ILO,
Eurostat, 2023).
1 The results presented in this paper are preliminary, because the survey is currently in the processing phase, that is, in the
stage of preparing the data collected for analysis, through transformation processes such as classification, coding, review,
validation, among other processes that guarantee the quality of the information to be published.
2 The results presented throughout this paper refer to the main work.
The measurement of employment on digital platforms based on the LFS 2023 is based on
the use of tools associated with the digital management of information in the performance
of work, such as the desktop computer, laptop or notebook , iPad or tablet and/or cell phone;
to subsequently determine if the use of any of these tools depends on access to an
application (App), a technological platform or a website to provide or sell products or
services, respond to requests for products or services, track products or services requested
by the client or another work process.
The results regarding the digital platforms shown in table 2 indicate that, of the total number
of employed people, 16.4 % used them to promote or sell products or services, respond to
service requests or follow up on the service provided to the client, while among dependent
contractors, the percentage of those who used digital platforms was 37.6 percent. By city,
Saltillo reported the lowest percentage of dependent contractors linked to digital platforms
with 33.3 %, followed by Oaxaca with 38.5 % and Toluca with 39.8 percent.
The sex composition of dependent contractors linked to digital platforms was 58.2 % men
and 41.8 % women. By city, the composition was different, Saltillo reported a higher
proportion of women with 62.2 %, while in Toluca and Oaxaca there were more men,
72.8 % and 55.5 %, respectively.
Likewise, 71.8 % of dependent contractors who used digital platforms were analogous to
self-employed workers; while only 28.2 % were analogous to employees.
By city, dependent contractors who used digital platforms, the highest percentages
correspond to self-employed analogues, representing 86.5 % in Toluca, followed by Saltillo
with 63% and Oaxaca with 61.3 %.
Employed population and dependent contractors by use Table 2
of digital platforms and city, according to sex and type
dependent contractor
Use of digital
platforms and cities
Employed
population
Dependent contractors
Total
Sex Type
Men Women
Analogous
self-
employed
Analogues to
employees
Used digital platforms 199,453 17,976 58.2 41.8 71.8 28.2
Saltillo 76,316 4,308 37.8 62.2 63.0 37.0
Toluca 60,658 7,208 72.8 27.2 86.5 13.5
Oaxaca 62,479 6,460 55.5 44.5 61.3 38.7
Not used digital
platforms
1,015,853 29,841 63.4 36.6 14.9 85.1
Saltillo 341,745 8,646 54.4 45.6 22.1 77.9
Toluca 461,278 10,892 70.6 29.4 4.8 95.2
Oaxaca 212,830 10,303 63.4 36.6 19.6 80.4
Source: INEGI. Labor Force Survey, 2023. Preliminary data.
4. Informality in dependent contractors
Starting from Resolution I referring to statistics on the informal economy of the 21st ICLS,
which presents informal employment as any activity carried out by persons to produce goods
or provide services in exchange for remuneration or benefit that, in the law or in practice, is
not covered by formal agreements such as commercial laws, procedures for declaring
economic activities, income taxes, legislation, social security laws and regulations that
provide protection against the economic and personal risks associated with the performance
of economic activities.
Particularly, paragraph 48 establishes that informal workers are dependent contractors who
do not own or operate a formal economic unit and are not registered for tax purposes, that
is, they do not have a formal status in relation to the legal administrative framework or their
activities are not effectively covered by formal commercial or service agreements.
In the case of dependent contractors analogous to self-employed workers, the criterion to
define whether they are formal or informal are accounting practices, that is, if they use the
services of an accountant, if they provide an invoice for their products or service they offer,
or manages any platform required by the tax authority; and based on this information
determine if the economic unit is informal and therefore the dependent contractor is also
informal.
In dependent contractors analogous to employees, formality or informality is determined by
whether or not they are responsible for paying their contribution to a social security institution
or paying taxes to carry out the activity, unlike employees, which is determined by the
accounting practices of the contracting company or business and access to social security
through work. In this case, if the dependent contractor analogous to an employee does not
pay his social security contribution or does not pay taxes for his activity, it is considered
informal.
Table 3 shows how informal dependent contractors represent 8.1 % of the informally
employed population. Within the dependent contractors, only 12% corresponds to the formal
population; while 88% represents the informal population.
Both formal and informal male dependent contractors outnumbered female dependent
contractors with differences of 59.8 % and 17.8 % respectively. Regarding the results by city
from the informal dependent contractors in Saltillo, there were 2.4 % more women than men;
and in Toluca and Oaxaca there were 31.9 % and 19.5 % more men than women
respectively. On the formal side in Saltillo there were 1.2 % more women than men; and in
Toluca and Oaxaca there were 100 % and 31.8 % more men than women respectively.
Dependent contractors analogous to informal employees surpassed self-employed
analogues with a difference of 44.8 %; the same trend is observed in cities. As for the formal
contractors, all of them concentrated on the self-employed analogues.
Employed population and dependent contractors by condition Table 3
of informality and city, according to sex and type of contractors
dependents
Informality
condition
and city
Employed
population
Dependent contractors
Total
Sex Type
Men Women
Analogous
self-employed
Analogues to
employees
Informal 513,776 42,071 58.9 41.1 27.6 72.4
Saltillo 102,472 11,788 48.8 51.2 29.4 70.6
Toluca 243,281 15,174 65.9 34.1 25.3 74.7
Oaxaca 168,023 15,109 59.7 40.3 28.6 71.4
Formal 701,530 5,746 79.9 20.1 100.0 0.0
Saltillo 315,589 1,166 49.4 50.6 100.0 0.0
Toluca 278,655 2,926 100.0 0.0 100.0 0.0
Oaxaca 107,286 1,654 65.9 34.1 100.0 0.0
Source: INEGI. Labor Force Survey, 2023. Preliminary data.
In table 4, it can be seen that of the total informal dependent contractors that did not use
digital platforms, they accounted for 68.4 %; in the cities, those who did not use them also
surpassed those who used them, with Toluca having the highest percentage with 71.8 %,
followed by Saltillo with 70.4 % and Oaxaca with 60.3 percent.
Within informal dependent contractors it is observed that there is a difference in being
analogous to self-employed and analogous to independent. The first included 70.8 % of
those who used digital platforms and the difference between those who used and did not, in
Toluca is 72.8 %, in Oaxaca 40 % and in Saltillo 9.2 %; while the analogues to employees
who did not use covered 83.4 % and the differences are 82.9 % in Toluca, 61.7 % in Saltillo
and 53.7 % in Oaxaca.
For their part, formal dependent contractors were entirely analogous to self-employed
workers, comprising 81.5 % of those who used digital platforms; highlighting that in the
results by city, 100 % used digital platforms, followed by Saltillo with 70.7 % and Oaxaca
with 56.5 percent.
Percentage distribution of dependent contractors by condition Table 4
of informality and city, according to type of dependent contractors
and use of digital platforms
Informality condition
and cities
Total Analogous self-employed Analogues to employees
Used Not used Used Not used Used Not used
Informal 31.6 68.4 70.8 29.2 16.6 83.4
Saltillo 29.6 70.4 54.6 45.4 19.1 80.9
Toluca 28.2 71.8 86.4 13.6 8.6 91.4
Oaxaca 36.6 63.4 70.0 30.0 23.2 76.8
Formal 81.5 18.5 81.5 18.5 0.0 0.0
Saltillo 70.7 29.3 70.7 29.3 0.0 0.0
Toluca 100.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Oaxaca 56.5 43.5 56.5 43.5 0.0 0.0
Source: INEGI. Labor Force Survey, 2023. Preliminary data.
5. Quality in the employment of dependent contractors
For this section, the statistical framework presented in the Handbook on Measuring Quality
of Employment provided by UNECE is used, which addresses the quality of employment by
identifying seven dimensions and twelve sub-dimensions.
UNECE defines the quality of employment from the point of view of the employed person
based on a set of 67 indicators distributed in seven dimensions and 12 sub-dimensions of
employment quality. Due to the characteristics and nature of the indicators proposed by
UNECE, a single source of information is not sufficient to offer a complete picture of the
quality of employment; therefore, based on the LFS, a first approximation to the quality of
employment in dependent contractors is offered, differentiating them between formal and
informal, as well as their relationship with the use of digital platforms, covering the six
dimensions with a set of 18 indicators.
5.1 Safety and ethics of employment
This dimension covers safety at work, the objective of which is to protect workers against
possible injuries derived from dangers and risks at work, as well as aspects that may harm
their physical and mental well-being and in the area of fair treatment in employment.
Elements are provided to generate measures to combat discrimination that limits job
opportunities for people (UNECE, 2015).
In Table 5, the percentage of dependent contractors who did not suffer accidents requiring
medical attention is 97.2 %; of those who work in safe and hygienic conditions is 85.1 % and
the percentage who did not suffer discrimination in their work due to sex, age, sexual
orientation or preference, the color of their skin or their origin, any disability or illness, class
social or some other reason was 96.1 percent.
Quality of
Employment
Safety and
ethics of
employment
Security of
Employment
and social
protection
Working Time
and work-life
balance
Income and
benefits from
employment
Social
dialogue
Skills
development
and training
Employment-
related
relationships
and work
motivation
• Income from employment
• Non-wage pecuniary benefits
• Security of employment
• Social protection
• Employment-related relationships
• Work motivation
• Safety at work
• Child labour and forced labour
• Fair treatment in employment
• Working hours
• Working time arrangements
• Work-life balance
In its division into formal and informal, no population with a formal occupation was found;
On the other hand, the percentage of informal workers who did not suffer accidents is
97.2 %, that of those who worked in safe and hygienic conditions is 85.1 % and that of those
who did not suffer discrimination is 96.1 percent.
Of all the dependent contractors who used digital platforms, 100 % did not report having had
a work accident and worked in safe and hygienic conditions, while 93.3 % did not report
having suffered discrimination.
Safety and ethics of employment, according to condition Table 5
informality and use of digital platforms
Indicators Total
Informality condition
Condition of use of digital
platforms
Formal Informal Used Not used
Percentage without work accidents 97.2 0.0 97.2 100.0 96.7
Percentage that works in safe and
hygienic conditions
85.1 0.0 85.1 100.0 82.0
Percentage without discrimination 96.1 0.0 96.1 93.3 96.5
Note: These indicators are calculated with respect to contractors analogous to employees
Source: INEGI. Labor Force Survey, 2023. Preliminary data.
5.2 Income and benefits from employment.
In this dimension that covers the means that allow access to material well-being, the
remunerations received by dependent contractors are presented, as well as labor benefits.
The average income of dependent contractors was 428.9 dollars, the median income in
dollars was 321.2 and the percentage that received some benefit for their economic activity
was 13.4 percent.
Due to informality, the average income of formal dependent contractors was 989 dollars,
almost triple that of informal contractors; while the median for formal ones is 642.4 dollars,
a little more than double that of informal ones. Those who used digital platforms have a
higher average and median than those who did not use them, almost double in the first case
and double the median income.
Regarding informal dependent contractors analogous to employees, 13.4 % received some
benefit; and of the total of those who used digital platforms to do their work, 18% also
received some, and of the total of those who did not use platforms, 12.5 % found themselves
in the same situation.
Income and benefits from employment, according to condition Table 6
informality and use of digital platforms
Indicators Total
Informality condition
Condition of use of
digital platforms
Formal Informal Used Not used
Average monthly income (dollars) 428.9 989.0 358.5 589.6 336.7
Median monthly income (dollars) 321.2 642.4 267.7 535.4 240.9
Percentage that receives some labor benefit 13.4 0.0 13.4 18.0 12.5
Note: The labor benefits indicator is calculated with respect to contractors analogous to employees.
Source: INEGI. Labor Force Survey, 2023. Preliminary data.
5.3 Working time and work-life balance
This dimension refers to the balance between personal, work and social life from the
perspective of time dedicated to productive activities and the availability of time for social
and personal activities. Likewise, it covers aspects related to the decision to work for an
income given family or care responsibilities; as well as the measurement between the time
dedicated to a job and the time dedicated to private life (UNECE, 2015).
Working long hours or having a second job can interfere with the development of recreational
activities and participation in household chores or family activities; while working part-time
or at home favors the balance between work, personal and family life.
Table 7 shows that, on average per week, dependent contractors worked 34.2 hours, formal
contractors 37.1 hours versus 44 hours for informal contractors; while those who used digital
platforms worked 31.2 hours per week.
In working days of more than 48 hours per week, 28.3 % of dependent contractors were
found, 18.4 % of formal contractors and 29.7 % of informal contractors, and 22.5 % of those
who used digital platforms.
In days less than 35 hours per week, 46.5 % of dependent contractors worked, 34.3 % of
formal contractors, 48.2 % of informal contractors and 54.1 % of those who used digital
platforms.
The 8.6 % of dependent contractors had more than one job, of those formally in the main
job 23.1 % had more than one job; informal ones were 6.6 %; and of those who used digital
platforms they comprised 9.9 % and those who did not use them it was 7.8 percent.
Regarding those who worked at home, the percentage of formal dependent contractors is
higher than that of informal ones, 25.1 % and 11.1 % respectively; likewise, the percentage
of those who used digital platforms to do their work is higher with 31.6 % compared to those
who did not use them (1.9 percent).
Working time and work-life balance, according to condition Table 7
informality and use of digital platforms
Indicators Total
Informality condition
Condition of use of digital
platforms
Formal Informal Used Not used
Average hours of work per week 34.2 37.1 44.0 31.2 36.0
Percentage working more than 48 hours
a week
28.3 18.4 29.7 22.5 31.7
Percentage working less than 35 hours
a week
46.5 34.3 48.2 54.1 42.0
Percentage with more than one job 8.6 23.1 6.6 9.9 7.8
Percentage who works from home or
residence
12.9 25.1 11.1 31.6 1.9
Note: In the indicator of percentage of dependent contractors with more than one job, only jobs in the occupation are taken
into account.
Source: INEGI. Labor Force Survey, 2023. Preliminary data.
5.4 Security of employment and social protection
This dimension refers to the safety measures and networks that can compensate for
possible risks in the protection of workers and their families, such as the degree of
permanence or continuity of employment, the tendency of job tenure or access to social
security, the which vary depending on the forms of labor insertion.
In this case, the LFS reported that 77.5 % of dependent contractors would remain in their
job during the next year, in the formal ones the percentage was 100 %, while in the informal
ones it was 73.6 % and of those who used digital platforms it was 91.9 percent (Table 8).
Likewise, 62.2 % of dependent contractors had been working for more than one year, with
85% being formal, 58.5 % being informal and 73.8 % being those who used digital platforms.
Finally, access to social security for dependent contractors is practically nil.
Security of employment and social protection, according to condition Table 8
informality and use of digital platforms
Indicators Total
Informality condition
Condition of use of digital
platforms
Formal Informal Used Not used
Percentage who will stay in their
job next year
77.5 100 73.6 91.9 69
Percentage with seniority greater
than one year
62.2 85 58.5 73.8 55.5
Percentage with social security 0.9 7.8 0.0 0.9 1.0
Source: INEGI. Labor Force Survey, 2023. Preliminary data.
5.5 Social dialogue
The Social dialogue refers to the potential to increase the quality of employment, through
freedom of association, as well as the right to organize and bargain collectively to establish
a dialogue between employers, organizations and government that promotes improvements
in working conditions and benefits. business.
The LFS itself does not address this dimension in dependent contractors, so it would be
necessary to consider incorporating questions aimed at collecting information on
membership in organizations or associations of professionals, independent workers, among
others.
5.6 Skills development and training
The dimension refers to the opportunities for personal development of workers and the
adaptation of their skills to the demands of work as elements to improve the quality of
employment.
In the LFS, this dimension only looks at dependent contractors analogous to employees, so
the incorporation of questions aimed at capturing similar information in dependent
contractors analogous to self-employment remains to be evaluated.
In the dependent contractors analogous to employees, 37.8 % of them received training for
part of their work, a percentage that only represents the informal ones and of these, 51.8 %
used digital platforms (Table 9).
In those who acquired knowledge and skills at work, the percentage of dependent
contractors analogous to employees were only informal with 81.9 %, and all of them used
digital platforms.
Skills development and training, according to condition Table 9
informality and use of digital platforms
Indicators Total
Informality condition Condition of use of digital
platforms
Formal Informal Used Not used
Percentage that has received training 37.8 0.0 37.8 51.8 35.1
Percentage that has acquired knowledge
and skills
81.9 0.0 81.9 100.0 78.3
Note: These indicators are calculated with respect to contractors analogous to employees.
Source: INEGI. Labor Force Survey, 2023. Preliminary data.
5.7 Employment-related relationships and work motivation
In this dimension, the motivation factor is important from the point of view of the worker,
since it affects their health and well-being, in addition to being a factor that helps achieve
high levels of sustainability at work.
In the LFS, this dimension looks only at dependent contractors analogous to employees, so
it remains pending to evaluate the incorporation of questions aimed at capturing similar
information in dependent contractors analogous to self-employment.
In the dependent contractors analogous to employees, 81.4 % declared that they still had
things to learn in their work, among the formal ones there were no cases, the informal ones
were 81.4 % and those who used digital platform covered 72.1 % (Table 10).
On the other hand, 95.3 % of the cases in which their opinion was taken into account, in the
formal cases no cases were found, while the informal cases were 95.3 % and those that
used digital platforms were 100 percent.
Employment-related relationships and work motivation, according Table 10
to condition informality and use of digital platforms
Indicators Total
Informality condition
Condition of use of
digital platforms
Formal Informal Used
They do not
use
Percentage that has things left to learn 81.4 0.0 81.4 72.1 83.3
Percentage that takes your opinion into
account
95.3 0.0 95.3 100.0 94.4
Source: INEGI. Labor Force Survey, 2023. Preliminary data.
6. Final comments
The LFS allows us to have a first approximation of the quality of employment in dependent
contractors in the context of labor informality and the use of digital platforms in work
processes.
In general, the following results stand out:
• Dependent contractors represented 3.9 % of the employed population, they were
predominantly men with 61.4 % and the greatest weight was represented by those
analogous to employees with 63.7 percent.
• 37.6 % of dependent contractors used digital platforms, of which 58.2 % were men
and 41.8 % women; and 71.8 % were analogous to self-employed workers.
• From the perspective of the economic unit, 88% of the independent contractors were
informal, with men predominating with 58.9 % and those analogous to employees
with 72.4 percent.
• Among informal dependent contractors, 70.8 % of self-employed analogues used
digital platforms, compared to 16.6 % of employee analogues.
Regarding the quality results in the employment of self-employed contractors, the most
outstanding results are the following:
• In the dimension of safety and ethics of employment, the indicators showed high
percentages, in those who did not suffer an accident 97.2 %, employed people who
worked in acceptable conditions of safety and hygiene 85.1 % and people who
declared that they had not suffered discrimination labor force 96.1 %, so it can be
inferred that dependent contractors had a low risk of suffering any damage to their
physical and mental health.
• Regarding the dimension of income and benefits from employment, formal
dependent contractors and those who used digital platforms reported the highest
income and benefits, compared to informal ones.
• In the dimension of working time and work-life balance, in Formal dependent
contractors, a smaller proportion worked long hours and on average worked fewer
hours per week compared to informal contractors; In addition, a greater proportion
of formal workers had more than one job and worked from home or domicile. In this
sense, some indicators point towards a greater imbalance between work life and
personal and family life and others that contribute to a greater balance.
• In the dimension of security of employment and social protection, the results showed
low permanence and job seniority in informal workers and in those who did not use
digital platforms; and social security is practically nil.
• In the social dialogue dimension, it remains to be evaluated the incorporation of
questions aimed at collecting information on membership in organizations or
associations of professionals, independent workers, among others.
• In the skill development and training dimension, data is only available from
dependent contractors analogous to employees, where it was identified that 37.8 %
of them received training and 81.9 % acquired knowledge and skills in their work.
• In the employment-related relationships and work motivation dimension, data is
offered from dependent contractors analogous to employees, where 81.4 % of them
consider that they had things left to learn in their work and 95.3 % reported that they
took their opinion into account; a situation that is similar between informal workers
and those who use digital platforms.
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