Challenges and Opportunities: The Struggle to Formalize Self-Employment in Peru

By: National Network of Self-Employed Workers (RENATTA)

The National Network of Self-Employed Workers (RENATTA) met in March at the office of the non-governmental organization “Alternativa” with delegates of the Autonomous Workers’ Confederation of Peru (CATP) to report on the importance of representing home-based workers and self-employed workers at the 113th International Assembly of the ILC, which will take place in Geneva from June 2^nd to June 13^th 2025. One of the agenda items for this Assembly will be the “General discussion on innovative approaches to fight informality and promote transition to formality in order to foster decent work.”

In this context, RENATTA, and representatives of self-employed workers in general, have to advocate for policies in their own countries to develop projects that allow them to formalize their work. However, in the case of Peru, current conditions are quite difficult, given that in general, current government policies are fundamentally repressive, which hinders self-employment. This is due to the lack of mechanisms to facilitate transition to formality and, furthermore, the lack of new sources of employment to absorb labor forced to work from home and even on the street.