Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF FAVOURABLE TRENDS, THE REGIONAL LABOUR MARKET WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS IN 2009 -- The Global Economic Context -- Economic Situation of the Region in 2008 -- The Labour Market in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2008 -- Economic and Unemployment Forecasts for 2009 -- SMALL BUSINESSES AND GLOBALIZATION: THE CHALLENGE OF DECENT WORK IN LATIN AMERICA -- LIST OF BOX ARTICLES -- Box Article 1 Informality in Urban Employment and Health and Pension -- Box Article 2 The Challenge of Social Dialogue in Latin America and the Caribbean -- Box Article 3 Good Policy Practices on Minimum Wage and Social Security: The Case of Brazil and Chile -- Box Article 4 The Labour Market of Central America and the Dominican Republic: Rural Areas and Agriculture in the Crisis -- Box Article 5 The Economic and Labour Market Situation in the Caribbean in the Context of a Global Crisis -- EXPLANATORY NOTE -- STATISTICAL ANNEX.