Working in the Informal Sector in Togo: Choice or Constraint?

Korem Ayira ()
Additional contact information
Korem Ayira: University of Lome

The European Journal of Development Research, 2022, vol. 34, issue 5, No 20, 2598-2623

Abstract: Abstract The paper aims to determine whether working in the informal sector in Togo is a choice or a constraint. Two instrumental variables models (probit and 2SLS) were used to estimate the probability of being satisfied with informal employment. The data used come from the Survey on Transition to Working Life (ETVA) in Togo carried out by the ILO in 2014. The results show that working in the informal sector in Togo is more a constraint than a deliberate choice. In addition, salaried jobs in the informal sector are undesirable, and non-salaried jobs in this sector are chosen. Furthermore, several factors determine the satisfaction of young Togolese in informal employment, notably the salary, the geographical location of the company and the socio-demographic characteristics of the worker. Apart from these classic factors, job security, job flexibility, salary consistency and personal development are factors that also increase the likelihood of being satisfied with one's job in Togo. Thus, any policy targeting the Togolese informal sector should take into account the heterogeneity of this sector for better organisation and formalisation in order to reduce the degree of job insecurity and, in turn, fight against indecent jobs and poverty among young Togolese.

Keywords: Satisfaction; Informal sector; Instrumental variables; Probit; 2SLS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J21 J28 O55 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41287-021-00468-z Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:eurjdr:v:34:y:2022:i:5:d:10.1057_s41287-021-00468-z

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/journal/41287/PS2

DOI: 10.1057/s41287-021-00468-z

Access Statistics for this article

The European Journal of Development Research is currently edited by Spencer Henson and Natalia Lorenzoni

More articles in The European Journal of Development Research from Palgrave Macmillan, European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().