Informality and Public Space. The Case of Street Vending in an Intermediate City of Chile

Abstract

In Latin America, informal activities are an important source of jobs. In Chile they represent almost half of the total jobs in urban areas, with street trading being one of the activities that has been most known for its visibility in the public space. This article presents the results about the sociodemographic and labor characteristics of street vendors in the city of Los Angeles, Chile. An exhaustive analysis of official documents and other reports about work in Chile was performed, which were contrasted with a survey applied to 121 street vendors in the city, this provided relevant data to understand who they are, how they work, how their salaries are, their health conditions, their families, among other relevant data. It is important to highlight the overrepresentation of foreign workers compared to national employment data. Finally, it reflects on the working conditions faced by the street vendors, as well as to understand this type of activity not only as a job but as a way of life that is strongly embedded in the work scenario: public space.