In the article presents an analysis of informal employment in Russia. On the basis of the data of the ONPP, the features of the development of this phenomenon are investigated and the importance of the informal sector for the Russian economy is indicated. It is noted that those employed on an informal basis are mainly concentrated in industries that do not require high preparation, and in regions with low socio-economic development. The interrelation of informal employment with the level of unemployment was studied both in a static character (by regions for one calendar year) and in a dynamic one (for 2006-2018). A paradoxical situation has been revealed: in a statistical study of data, in the event of an increase in unemployment, the informal sector grows, and in a dynamic study of data, a decrease in unemployment causes an increase in informal employment. The dependence of informal employment with important socio-economic indicators is shown. At the end of the study, it is proposed to consider informal empl