Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic for Employability and Growth in Emerging Countries Lecciones de la pandemia de COVID-19 para la empleabilidad y el crecimiento en los países emergentes)

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic affected the economy of emerging countries such as Peru, making it dependent on mining and labor informality. Objective: To determine measures implemented during said Pandemic from the analysis of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2020. Methodology: To perceive the variables that generated the gradual recovery of the Peruvian economy as of 2021. Results: Tax collection showed an improvement as of 2021, evidencing economic reactivation, while the unemployment rate reached high levels in 2020 and began to decrease in 2021, although it still remained high. Conclusions: The lessons of the pandemic underscore the need for a labor and economic contingency plan, to improve digital and internet access, and to strengthen the occupational health infrastructure. Contribution: Labor informality in Peru during the Pandemic made it difficult to provide aid based on registration number; it is urgent to accelerate labor formalization with tax incentives.