Subcontracting and informality in civil construction, in Brazil and France

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the labor market of the construction industry in Brazil and France, in a context of flexibility. This text, being the result of field research on construction sites in these two countries, discusses specifics of the informal labor contracts in the sector, which have produced a transfer of illegalities from large to small businesses. In the French case, through temporary agencies. In Brazil, through small businesses underground, called "kittens." The perception of workers against such illegalities and their strategies to stay on the market are emphasized. In the French case, the work of illegal or semi-legal immigrants, made possible by temporary agencies. In Brazil, it is clear that the industry has always been organized based on informality and seeks, gradually, to retain workers, even though informal work remains predominant.