The precariousness and the labor market from the Dominican Republic walk holding hands. Of the six components evaluated by the Quality Index of Employment of Dominican Republic 2024 (ICE-RD), four obtained that qualification and only two were categorized as quality either high quality.
The two indicators most linked to the salary part: the income and the socio-labor benefits were the ones who worst score obtained, being classified as very precarious and precariousrespectively, followed by the working hours and the social security.
Only two of the indicators: the contract and the job stability achieved a score that classifies them within the categories of quality and high qualityaccording to the document, prepared by the Vice Ministry of Economy of the Ministry of Finance.
Despite the progress In the last year, in general terms, the ICE-RD continues to be located within the classification of precarious employmentlocated in 40.3 points. The figure represents a improvement of 1.5 points compared to 2023, when it was 38.8.
The document clarifies that the employment of high quality is that with a score equal to or greater than 75 while that of quality It covers a score between 50 and 74.9. He job precarious ranges between 25 and 49.9 points and the very precarious equal to or less than 24.9.
The component of the income received the lowest rating among the six components of the index, with 22.1 pointsplacing itself at the level of “very precarious“, although he had a slight improvement with reference to 2016, when it was 14.2.
He ICE-RD It is published at a time when the country is debating the indexing of wages and in which it is admitted that 70.1% of the employed population has income precarious, which does not allow them to acquire all the goods and services of the basic basket.
The socio-labor benefits continued as the second worst component of the index in 2024, ranking in the precariousalthough he had a slight improvement with reference to 2016. During that period this indicator went from 30.1 to 30.4.
The working hours and the social security They also appear within the range of precariousnessbut equally, they presented last year progress compared to 2016. The first component improved four points, going from 38.1 to 42.1, while the second rose from 41.2 to 43.2 points.
Quality or high quality
The job stability is the component of ICE-RD that presented the best performance during 2024, reaching the 76.5 pointshigher than the 73 it registered in 2016, being classified as high quality.
Likewise, the contract labor achieved a score of 60.1, for a improvement of 1.9 points compared to the 58.2 reached in 2016.
Economic sector
Five economic sectors: agriculture and livestockconstruction, transportation and communications, other services and trade concentrate the largest number of employed people in conditions of precariousnessalthough they registered progress in the percentage reduction between 2016 and 2024.
The Quality Index of Employment of the Dominican Republic indicates that the agriculture and livestock led the number of workers in precariousnesswith 89.4%, followed by construction, with 84.1% and transportation and communications with 76.8%.
Meanwhile, the sector trade last year it appeared with 76.1% of its employees in precarious situationa figure that in “other services” was 74.9%.
Despite the levels, the report reveals progress considerable towards quality of its workers in each of these sectorswhen compared to 2016, which, as in the case of other services, improved 6.6 percentage points and construction (6). These were followed trade (3.6), transportation and communications (3.3) and agriculture only 0.5 percentage points.
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“In summary, progress was made in the quality of employment in almost all the groups analyzed. Although the ICE-RD has improved steadily, it still remains at low levels. This implies that the quality of employment in the country continues to be a structural challenge, with progress, but challenges persist to reach a threshold that guarantees decent conditions for the majority of the employed population,” he highlights.
