Chapter 10: From the Ruins of a Precarious World of Work: Entrepreneurial Ambitions in Young Brazilian Workers’ Experiences

Relying on in-depth interviews and ethnographic data collected in São Paulo, this chapter examines the experiences and narratives of three young Brazilian workers navigating unemployment and platform labour. Findings reveal that low-income youth, confronted with numerous instances of employer harassment, poor working conditions, and exploitation, place their hopes in the gig economy as a means to escape traditional labour submission. However, due to various reasons and disillusionment with the idyllic narrative of autonomy promoted by platform companies, these workers increasingly consider entrepreneurship as an alternative to survive in Brazil’s oversaturated market, which was historically characterized by informality and unemployment.