dc.contributor.author	Nguimkeu, Pierre
dc.contributor.author	Okou, Cedric
dc.date.accessioned	2020-10-06T15:48:25Z
dc.date.available	2020-10-06T15:48:25Z
dc.date.issued	2020-10
dc.description.abstract	In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), more than 80 percent of workers find their livelihoods in the informal sector. They are artisans and shop owners, fishers and divers, tailors and weavers, truck drivers and market sellers, among many other informal jobs. In the era of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, saving lives and protecting livelihoods are both deeply challenging in SSA countries with high informality and almost no social protection. Informal workers and their families are most vulnerable to the disease, as they toil in crowded bazaars and busy streets. Moreover, informal workers are typically poor and cannot stockpile food or cash for a long lockdown. Strict containment measures directly jeopardize their income, their livelihoods, and their lives. The analysis confirms that higher rates of informal employment (as a fraction of total employment) are associated with higher rates of COVID-19 infection or disease spread. Not surprisingly, countries with relatively larger populations are also more likely to experience higher rates of infection. Given the adverse socioeconomic effects of COVID-19 containment on informal businesses and workers lacking social protection, countries should take proactive steps to curb the spread of infections, treat affected people, and at the same time provide social safety nets and economic relief for informal workers and businesses.	en
dc.identifier	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/798701601482469323/A-Tale-of-Africa-Today-Balancing-the-Lives-and-Livelihoods-of-Informal-Workers-During-the-COVID-19-Pandemic
dc.identifier.doi	10.1596/34582
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/10986/34582
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	Washington, DC: World Bank
dc.relation.ispartofseries	Africa Knowledge in Time Policy Brief;
dc.rights	CC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holder	World Bank
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo
dc.subject	INFORMAL WORKER
dc.subject	INFORMAL SECTOR
dc.subject	CORONAVIRUS
dc.subject	COVID-19
dc.subject	PANDEMIC IMPACT
dc.subject	LIVELIHOODS
dc.subject	EXTREME POVERTY
dc.title	A Tale of Africa Today	en
dc.title.subtitle	Balancing the Lives and Livelihoods of Informal Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic	en
dc.type	Brief	en
dc.type	Fiche	fr
dc.type	Resumen	es
dspace.entity.type	Publication
okr.crossref.title	A Tale of Africa Today: Balancing the Lives and Livelihoods of Informal Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
okr.date.disclosure	2020-09-30
okr.doctype	Publications & Research
okr.doctype	Publications & Research::Brief
okr.docurl	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/798701601482469323/A-Tale-of-Africa-Today-Balancing-the-Lives-and-Livelihoods-of-Informal-Workers-During-the-COVID-19-Pandemic
okr.guid	798701601482469323
okr.identifier.doi	10.1596/34582
okr.identifier.externaldocumentum	090224b087e57bce_3_0
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum	32449881
okr.identifier.report	153435
okr.imported	true	en
okr.language.supported	en
okr.pdfurl	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/798701601482469323/pdf/A-Tale-of-Africa-Today-Balancing-the-Lives-and-Livelihoods-of-Informal-Workers-During-the-COVID-19-Pandemic.pdf	en
okr.region.administrative	Africa
okr.region.geographical	Sub-Saharan Africa
okr.topic	Poverty Reduction::Employment and Shared Growth
okr.topic	Poverty Reduction::Living Standards
okr.topic	Social Protections and Labor::Employment and Unemployment
okr.topic	Social Protections and Labor::Labor Markets
okr.topic	Social Protections and Labor::Social Protections & Assistance
okr.unit	Office of the Chief Economist (AFECE)

Publication: A Tale of Africa Today: Balancing the Lives and Livelihoods of Informal Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Files

Original bundle

License bundle

Collections

Publication:
A Tale of Africa Today: Balancing the Lives and Livelihoods of Informal Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic