Informal population employment as a factor of shadowing and economic danger

Abstract

The article investigates the current trends of informal labor market development in Ukraine during 2016–2018, based on a synthesis of statistical data. The object of study is informal employment, which acts as a factor of economic danger for the country as a whole and its business entities. The purpose of the article is an identification of the nature of changes occurring in the structure of informal employment in Ukraine in recent years, in particular, after the pension system reform. In the research process, the following general scientific methods were used: analytical-monographic – in the study of literary sources on the research topic; analysis and synthesis – to summarize statistical data on development trends of the informal labor market; system analysis, abstraction, logical generalizations – in determining the characteristic features and causes of informal employment; abstract-logical – for conclusions forming. A comparative analysis of the informally employed population by type of economic activity, gender, place of residence, employment status has been conducted. According to the study results, it was established: the vast majority of workers in the informal sector work in agriculture, forestry and fisheries; among the total number of informally employed persons, men predominate; a high level of informal employment was recorded among men and women 40–49 and 50–59 years old; more than half of the informally employed persons live in rural areas; almost half of informally employed persons are self-employed. Based on the conducted study, the characteristic features and the most significant reasons of informal employment occurrence, as well as the risks of its existence and ambiguous consequences of the spread, are determined. Some ways of reducing of informal employment level in the country are proposed, in particular, in the field of tax legislation, labor relations and social insurance.