Gerald Darmamin, the French interior minister, said today that one major reason why so many migrants are trying to get to the UK (from Calais) is because of the huge demand / opportunities for people to work 'irregularly', in the casual labour market, where they can work cash in hand, no questions asked, and still access services like health and education.
Certainly in France, working 'on the black' is quite difficult: it's not possible to access the health service or public education or benefits unless your situation has been regularised. Employers are generally very wary of employing people that don't have the correct papers as the penalties are quite considerable. In fact casual work overall is discouraged and very paperwork heavy for the employer, and zero-hour type contracts do not exist. There's certainly a bit of irregular working: English teachers working cash-in-hand or hairdressers / beauticians coming to your house is quite common. But I don't think there is anything like the same amount of it as there is in the UK.
What do you think? Cash in hand, on the black, the informal economy... do you work in it? Do you benefit from it? Do you think it's a positive or a negative for you, your area, your country?