This dissertation aims to analyze informal work in the context of international societal transformations since the 1970s and in Brazil since the 1990s. first two decades of the 21st century. The research was developed based on bibliographic studies produced by critical authors of the capitalist mode of production, who defend the thesis of the structural crisis of capitalism, but not only that, other literatures were used to expose different and sometimes opposing positions. We share the analyzes that prove that the crisis unleashed in the 1970s imposed several strategies to maintain the current order. For the purposes of this dissertation, priority was given to the notion of productive restructuring and neoliberalism, which articulately affect society as a whole at different levels. In the Brazilian scenario, these strategies triggered various forms of precarious work. In addition to this theoretical debate, the emergence of the concept of informal work and the different theoretical perspectives adopted by researchers and analysts on the subject over the years was addressed. As a result, the research shows that the interpretation of informal work is heterogeneous and may influence the scope of labor rights and levels of exploitation. Indices of informal workers continue to grow in Brazil, which affects the living conditions of the population in general.