Micro Based Results of Shadow Labour Market in the Baltic States, Poland, Sweden, and Belarus
Micro Based Results of Shadow Labour Market in the Baltic States, Poland, Sweden, and Belarus

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this paper is to present the results of representative population surveys on public perceptions of the shadow economy and actual engagement in shadow economic activities which was conducted in six countries, including Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden in May–June 2015. Major results are that the likelihood of being detected by working in the shadow economy labour market is generally seen as low with the exception of Sweden where the majority of the population tends to see this likelihood as rather high. The majority of the survey respondents in all countries do not justify any kind of shadow economy. Only in the case when they have a legal job contract and a part of the wage is paid as an “envelope wage”, the justification is somewhat higher. Latvia has the highest share of respondents who have friends or relatives working in the shadow labour market (36 %) and Sweden has the lowest proportion of such population (8 %). Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Belarus; risk of punishment; justification of shadow economic activities.

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