Mapping research trends on the protection of informal sector workers: a bibliometric review

Purpose This study aims to map global research trends on informal sector workers and labor law, with a particular emphasis on the issue of legal certainty. While informal employment constitutes a dominant share of the workforce in many developing countries, including Indonesia, the regulatory framework has predominantly focused on the formal sector. This bibliometric review provides a systematic overview of scholarly developments, identifies research gaps and highlights implications for reconstructing labor law policies. Design/methodology/approach The analysis is based on the Scopus database covering publications from 1992 to 2025. Using the Bibliometric R-package, the study examines annual publication trends, prolific authors, influential journals, geographical distribution of research, co-authorship networks and keyword co-occurrence. The methodological approach combines descriptive statistics with network and thematic mapping to identify clusters of research focus. Findings The findings show a strong rise in publications on informal workers and labor law over the past two decades, driven by debates on decent work, migration and social protection. The USA, the UK and South Africa are the most productive countries. Highly cited studies focus on informality, employment conditions, migrant and domestic workers, gender inequality and COVID-19. Thematic clusters highlight four areas: worker protection, migration and gendered vulnerabilities, health and human rights and emerging issues such as political economy and labor rights. Yet legal reconstruction for informal workers remains underexplored. Practical implications The study provides a research landscape that can inform policymakers in designing inclusive and responsive labor law reforms addressing the needs of informal workers. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first bibliometric study that systematically links informal sector research with labor law and legal certainty, offering both academic and policy contributions.