Perceptions of Good Jobs : Analytical Report--Port Loko and Freetown, Sierra Leone

Abstract

This study shows how jobs are perceived in Sierra Leone by exploring beyond earnings, health benefits, and pension plans that characterize a “good job” to focus on the features that increase living standards, productivity growth, and social cohesion. Since the civil war (1991–2002), Sierra Leone has struggled to achieve economic growth. Men are more likely to participate in the labor force than women, middle-aged people work more than the younger and older, and prolonged health problems hinder employment. Urban households containing wage workers or individuals with a mix of employment are better off than households with only self-employed members. While the relationship between wealth and employment is unclear in rural areas, where most households do farming mixed with some self-employment, only wage workers have any benefits. Assessments of job satisfaction show meaningfulness of a job determines the level of satisfaction, with middle-aged workers more satisfied than younger and older, and wealthier people more satisfied than less wealthy. Jobs consist mainly of manual tasks—dominated by routine work with a relatively high level of autonomy—and a “good,” more meaningful job requires a shift from manual toward more cognitive work, from routine toward more creative tasks, while maintaining autonomy. Wage-workers display significantly higher trust toward people than exhibited by both self-employed and farmers,showing wage employment contributes to social cohesion.