Abstract

This paper proposes to identify the micro-determinants of informal employment in Côte d’Ivoire, focusing on socio-demographic factors. Using data from the National Survey on Employment and the Situation of the Informal Sector (ENSESI) and the Logit method, the empirical results indicate that unschooled and less qualified individuals are more likely to be in an informal situation; that the probability of engaging in informal activities is higher for women than for men; that the probability of being informal decreases with the age of the individual; that single (or customarily married) individuals are more likely than married individuals to belong to the informal group; that individuals in the agriculture sector are more likely to be informal than those in the service and industrial sectors; and that individuals living in urban areas are less likely to fall into informal employment compared to individuals in rural areas. Consequently, economic choices and decisions must be targeted on the basis of these empirical findings to reduce the weight and consequences of the informal sector in Côte d’Ivoire’s economy.

Key words: Informal employment, micro-determinants, socio-demographic factors, Cote d’Ivoire.