The document series “Life Skills”, titled “The Hidden Numbers,” provides clear, data-driven snapshots of the prevalence of different disabilities and disorders among school-age children in Latin America and the Caribbean. It uses estimated prevalence rates from the Global Burden of Disease and contrasts them with administrative data from educational systems. The documents are designed for policymakers, ministerial teams, and education professionals seeking practical information to strengthen inclusion, early detection, and support for students.

This document contains an analysis of more than 6.2 million digital job vacancies across 15 Latin American countries between 2022 and 2025. It shows a slowdown in job postings, along with demand dominated by administrative, commercial, and service occupations that require intermediate to relatively high levels of preparation.

The tension between productivity and labor costs in Latin America and the Caribbean remains one of the greatest challenges to creating formal employment. This note estimates the cost of salaried formal labor in 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries for 2023, updating two key indicators previously calculated by the IDBthe average non-wage cost of salaried labor (NWC) and the minimum cost of salaried labor (MCSL)and introducing a new measure: the cost of formalizing informal labor (CFIL). Results show that labor costs have risen since 2013, with increasing divergence across countries.

The System for the Identification of Potential Beneficiaries of Social Programs (Sisbén) is Colombias main instrument for targeting social policies. To date, Sisbén has gone through four versions and uses statistical tools and techniques to identify and rank the population according to their socioeconomic situation. Recently, Colombia began the transition from Sisbén to the Social Registry of Households (Registro Social de Hogares, RSH).

This paper examines how attitudes among supervisors, co-workers, and customers contribute to discrimination against sexual minorities in the workplace. A large, nationally representative sample in Chile was recruited in collaboration with a local firm. The survey employs a series of double list experiments designed to measure attitudes on sensitive issues while reducing social desirability bias, followed by direct questions on attitudes toward sexual minorities. Findings reveal a discrepancy between reported and actual comfort levels with gay individuals in the labor market.

The long-term care sector is an important part of the silver economy. In this sector, given the rapid aging of the population, significant business opportunities are generated. Likewise, there are opportunities for innovation both from the business sector and from civil society organizations (which are important providers of these services).

This paper studies whether gender gaps in womens labor-market outcomes are sustained by systematic misperceptions about social and spousal support for maternal employment. Using a representative sample of 1,732 cohabiting couples with young children in Bogotá, we show that while support for working mothers is nearly universal, both women and men substantially underestimate others supportparticularly fathersand frequently misperceive their partners views. We then implement a randomized information intervention that provides personalized feedback on prevailing local attitudes.

Latin America and the Caribbean currently stand at the precipice of a historic industrial transformation, catalyzed by global megatrends such as artificial intelligence, nearshoring, and the green transition. This publication sets forth a vision that for the region to convert these potential disruptions into competitive advantages, nations must fundamentally pivot from traditional supply-driven education models to demand-driven skills development systems.

Micro-credentials have the potential to expand access to post-secondary education by offering students more flexible and cost-effective alternatives to traditional higher-education pathways. They can also help bridge the gap between jobseekers and employers by reducing information frictions that hinder efficient job matching, while enabling individuals to upgrade their skills without leaving the workforce. As such, micro-credentials can accelerate career advancement. However, in Latin America and the Caribbean, evidence of their effectiveness remains limited and, at times, mixed.

The Uber-IPSOS 2024 study provides the most comprehensive assessment to date of Uber drivers in Latin America, capturing insights from more than 13,000 respondents across the region. It reveals that ride-hailing platforms have become an important occupational alternative and a key source of flexible income for a diverse and increasingly educated workforce. Drivers are predominantly male, middle-aged, and often use the platform part-time to supplement other income sources.