Public policies and legal guarantees for the labor market integration of indigenous people in Guayaquil, Ecuador

Abstract

In an increasingly globalized, intercultural, and multiethnic environment, the effective application of constitutional guarantees is essential to reduce inequalities and promote the labor inclusion of indigenous peoples in Ecuador. Despite regulatory advances, structural gaps still exist that limit equitable access to employment for these groups. The historical debt owed to the new collective subjects and the role of public labor policies from a critical, legal, and social perspective may be the change. which is why this research aims to determine the relationship between constitutional guarantees and public policies for labor integration aimed at indigenous peoples, using a quantitative methodology with a non-experimental, cross-sectional design through structured surveys directed at representatives of social organizations, for a total of 115, obtaining a moderate positive correlation (ρ = 0.61, p = 0.000) between constitutional guarantees and public labor policies. It can therefore be concluded that constitutional guarantees must become effective tools for transforming the reality of exclusion faced by indigenous peoples, confirming that when these guarantees are properly articulated with public policies designed from the territory and with the active participation of the communities, better conditions for labor inclusion and social justice are generated. To advance toward democratic and inclusive governance, sensitive, ethical, and flexible public management is required, capable of incorporating diversity as a guiding principle in the design, implementation, and evaluation of policies.