The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) developed a website called Information System on Labour Markets and Social Security (SIMS). It is the largest website with data of labour markets and social security in Latin America and the Caribbean. It provides comparable statistics for 23 countries, as well as institutional information and academic publications about labour markets in the region. The IDB’s goal is to contribute in the design, control, and evaluation of policies based on evidence in order to strengthen the region’s development.

SIMS is an open space for decision makers, industry experts, researchers, university students and key regional agents who want to make their own analysis on the areas of labour policies, skills development, employability and social security.

SIMS statistical data comes from every country’s household survey. They information has been adapted in order to enable comparison among different countries. Statistics cover 72 key indicators for a period of time that goes from 1990 to the last available year.

Indicators are updated by semester, according to the availability of new household surveys, and include six dimensions: population, employment, unemployment, incomes, social security and poverty. Statistics are presented in levels and rates and have several disintegration levels, such as gender, age, education level, geographic area, size of the company, labour income, etc.

Besides providing statistical information, SIMS includes institutional maps with detailed information on the main institution in the area of work and social security for every country in the region. This provides necessary information to understand the organizational structure of employment, labour training, social security and social dialogue institutions.

SIMS also offers the most relevant publications of the IDB’s Labour Markets’ Division, categorized by type of publication, theme, year and author.

Source: Factor Trabajo