October 2026
30Oct

Still Working, No Longer Contributing: The Pension Gap for Latin America’s Over-50s

Latin Americans above the age of 50 largely continue working, but many shift to informal work. Low social security coverage and limited opportunities to save in informal work not only deepen economic vulnerabilities for these workers, but also threatens the sustainability of pension systems. A recent study from the International Federation of Pension Fund Administrators (FIAP) shows that while labour force participation for those aged 50-75 years declines between 5 and 15 percentage points, access to formal employment falls between...

October 30, 2026
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16Oct

Is Latin America Ready to Grow Old?

The story of Maricarmen, the 87-year-old Madrid woman evicted by police from the apartment she had lived in since 1956 (she died shortly afterward), drew rare international attention for a housing dispute. Yet the same problem afflicts thousands of older people in Latin America. In Mexico City alone, civil society groups have documented more than 1,200 evictions of older residents over the past five years. Those figures hint at something bigger facing many seniors: the struggle simply to live...

October 16, 2026
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August 2026
14Aug

Ageing in Latin America and the Caribbean: inclusion and rights of older persons

By NU & CEPAL In Latin America and the Caribbean, population ageing —a demographic phenomenon that is characterized by an increase in the proportion of older persons and the lengthening of the life cycle— presents both opportunities and challenges for public policy. This document presents the report of Latin America and the Caribbean for the fourth review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002. The report analyses the current situation of ageing in the region and...

August 14, 2026
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14Aug

Expanding Social Protection and Addressing Informality in Latin America

By Jens Matthias Arnold, Aida Caldera & Elizabeth Friesen Informality remains a defining feature of Latin America’s labour markets, with around half of workers employed outside formal arrangements. While rates have slowly declined in some countries, progress is uneven and fragile. The many faces of informality — from self-employed vendors to domestic workers and employees in small firms — highlight the diverse realities of those without contracts, secure incomes, or access to social protection. The COVID-19 pandemic was a wake-up...

August 14, 2026
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07Aug

AI, Fiscal Space, and Social Protection in Four Latin American Economies: ;A Scenario-based Threshold Framework

By Vicenzo Scavino Can fiscal space from artificial intelligence finance recurrent social protection in Latin America? This paper develops a prespecified, scenario-based feasibility test that translates an AI dividend into income and fiscal capture, compares it with policy costs, and applies debt-consistency and persistence screens. For Peru, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, no deterministic crossing occurs under non-stress scenarios because translation and capture jointly fall short. Crossings arise only under diagnostic disruption: Chilean guaranteed minimum income is conditionally feasible and debt-consistent;...

August 7, 2026
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05Aug

Can Latin America Formalise Work Without Deepening Inequality?

Latin America and the Caribbean face a labour-market contradiction that has persisted for decades: policies designed to protect workers can sometimes make formal employment more expensive, leaving millions outside the systems intended to support them. The Inter-American Development Bank is calling for a broad redesign of labour regulation, social protection and workforce training across the region. Its report, Making Labor Markets Work: Improving Productivity and Workers’ Welfare in Latin America and the Caribbean, argues that governments do not have to choose...

August 5, 2026
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April 2026
21Apr

The Gray Tide: Latin America’s Demographic Transformation

For more than 25 years, Jardín Sonrisitas (“Little Smiles Kindergarten”) taught kids their ABCs in Villa del Cerro, a working-class portside district in Uruguay’s capital. But in December, the beloved kindergarten closed: one of three local creches to shut in as many years. Today, the building’s shutters are pulled down, its outdoor play equipment piled to one side. The reason is simple, said Catalina Clara, 38, whose six-year-old daughter was one of the last four students: “People aren’t having many...

April 21, 2026
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17Apr

2024 Labour Overview of Latin America and the Caribbean

By International Labour Organization Five years after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the labour market outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024 shows relative stability in its main labour market indicators. In line with the moderate pace of economic growth, the employment rate increased slightly in 2024 compared with the previous year. Labour supply, as measured by the participation rate - the percentage of people of working age who are working or looking for a job...

April 17, 2026
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17Apr

How we bridge the gap in climate innovation and investment in Latin America

By Georgina Mondino & Maximiliano Frey Latin America still attracts only a small share of global venture capital – just 2%– which helps explain why only five of its cities appear in StartupBlink’s latest Global Startup Ecosystem Index among the top 100 innovation hubs: São Paulo, Mexico City, Bogotá, Santiago and Buenos Aires. But the region is rich in ideas, talent and purpose-driven entrepreneurs who have already proven their ability to create value on a global scale. Over the past decade, Argentina...

April 17, 2026
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January 2026
27Jan

Why Latin America funds are on a hot streak

Brazil’s stock market index, the Ibovespa, rose by 8.5% last week, taking its month-to-date gain to 11% and extending the momentum built up over the course of last year. After a difficult 2024, when it fell by 10%, the Brazilian market recovered strongly in 2025. Global interest rates had started to ease and investors were turning back towards emerging markets in search of higher returns. The index ended the year up 34%. Overseas investors would have seen even larger gains as Brazil’s...

January 27, 2026
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