DANE to release new labor informality figures; Sincelejo maintains highest rate

Colombia's National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) is set to release updated figures on labor informality for the March-May 2026 period this Friday, July 10. The indicator has consistently stayed above 55% over the last year, reflecting persistent challenges in the formal employment sector.

According to data published by the newspaper La República, the labor informality rate stood at 55.1% for the February-April 2026 quarter, showing stability over the past 12 months. This means that more than half of the employed population operates outside formal employment structures.

Sincelejo, a city in Colombia, continues to report the highest rate of labor informality nationwide. In the recent reporting period, Sincelejo registered a staggering 66.8% of its employed population in informal work.

Looking at broader national trends, between January and March 2025, Colombia had 23.3 million employed individuals, with 13.3 million in informal jobs and 10 million in formal employment. By the same period in 2026, the total number of employed persons rose to 23.8 million. Within this, informal workers numbered 13.21 million, while formal workers increased to 10.6 million. This indicates a slight reduction of approximately 136,000 workers moving out of informality compared to the previous year.

Fabián Suárez, head of sectoral research at Anif, commented to La República that while the labor market shows dynamism, reducing informality remains difficult. He noted that the growth in employment is slowing, primarily driven by household consumption. Suárez also cautioned that the latter half of the year could see increased risks of labor market deterioration, potentially leading to rises in both informality and unemployment.