Perfil socioeconómico de vendedores ambulantes después de aislamiento por COVID-19. Estudio de caso: Cuenca, sector nueve de octubre en el período mayo 2022-noviembre 2022

Abstract

In Ecuador, Executive Decree No. 1017 was established on March 17, 2020, generating a state of exception. This in order to avoid the crowding of people in public spaces and the implementation of biosafety standards to prevent the spread of the virus in the processes of social interaction. In this way, street vendors, who work on streets and public spaces, have been limited to practice their daily activities to bring sustenance to their homes. In this context, the objective of this study is to establish the socioeconomic profile at a descriptive level of street vendors in the Nueve de Octubre sector after isolation by COVID-19. To achieve this, 2 non-participant observations are made, the analysis and interpretation of 12 interviews, 184 surveys and a focus group, all carried out in the period May-November 2022. Thus, the study shows that street vendors in the Nueve de Octubre sector work in an environment of discrimination, insecurity, injustice, long working hours, stress, humiliation, desperation, disability and low income. In addition, these workers currently face high job competition due to the increase in vendors in this sector after confinement, which has affected their sales and therefore their economic income. It has also been possible to conclude that the majority of street vendors are in a medium-low socioeconomic level.