ENTRE O DESEMPREGO E A INFORMALIDADE: EXPERIÊNCIAS E NARRATIVAS LABORAIS DE JOVENS TRABALHADORES NA CIDADE DE SÃO PAULO

Abstract

The world of work in the 21st century remains shaped by instability and insecurity for a large portion of Brazilian workers, who navigate a capitalist system characterized by high levels of informality, job reduction, and, consequently, unemployment. More and more, the transition of young people into the labor market seems to occur under uncertain conditions, with informality becoming a common denominator. Thus, relying on in-depth qualitative interviews, this article aims to investigate how informality and unemployment have shaped the experiences and narratives of three young workers in the city of São Paulo. Additionally, it seeks to understand the interviewees' perceptions of topics such as social assistance programs and formal employment contracts, which, despite being continuously delegitimized by the hegemonic neoliberal narrative, are nonetheless contested through the experiences and agency of those who survive amid the ruins of precarization.