Labor informality and juvenile crime in Latin America and Ecuador

The COVID-19 pandemic caused serious economic and social consequences, in which young people of Latin America and Ecuador, particularly, have been the main victims in issues related to the labor market and crime. The objective of this study was to describe the employment and social situation of young people at regional and national levels in the context of the current pandemic. The qualitative methodology was applied to conduct this research, with a descriptive type; it was developed in two stages. In the first one, a systematic review of the literature was carried out; in the second one, statistical information related to the subject of study was collected. The results confirmed the existence of obstacles and lack of opportunities in the labor market that derive from hostile macroeconomic scenarios and that must be faced by the young people of the region and the nation of study. The consequences of these scenarios translate into labor informality and criminality. It is concluded that the effects of the crisis caused by COVID-19 have a negative impact on the socioeconomic field; to overcome it is necessary to design and implement public-private measures aimed at the use and training of the people who make up the age group addressed.