The Nature and Extent of Informal Economy in Post-Crisis Ukraine.

The right to decent work for everyone is widely recognized globally. However, informal economy is still considered one of the major concerns across the Europe. It has been linked to the drain in tax and social security contributions. Present paper investigates the nature and extent of the informal economy in post-crisis Ukraine using a mixed-method research approach. A better understanding of the diverse nature of the informal sector can assist the development of a more comprehensive policy, while promoting enhanced working conditions and pay in the Ukrainian formal economy. Primary data collection was conducted from 200 surveys in late 2009 and early 2010. This study finds that the informal sector incorporates simultaneously different theoretical discourses of the informal economy in Ukraine. The informal economy in Ukraine is highly intertwined and interdependent within the formal one.We find that the amount of informally self-employed people has doubled after financial downturn of the 2008-2009 in Ukraine. This study confirms the assumption that women have higher incidence of the informal waged work.