Since the early 1980s, employment relationships in Latin America have
undergone significant change under the simultaneous impact of gradual
democratization and newly introduced economic liberalism. The latter,
in particular, caused disruption to the State's interventionist role w
hich had traditionally extended into the social sphere. After a brief
historical survey of labour legislation, the author details the impact
on employment relationships of the various reforms in national labour
law. Most of these emphasized labour market flexibility, though some
extended traditional social protection, and others combined both. In c
onclusion, he suggests some possible economic and social consequences.