Mahmud, MinhajGutierrez, Italo A.Kumar, Krishna B.Nataraj, Shanthi2023-12-202023-12-202020-01-06The World Bank Economic Review0258-6770 (print)1564-698X (online)https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/40777This study uses a choice experiment among 2,000 workers in Bangladesh to elicit willingness to pay (WTP) for job attributes: a contract, termination notice, working hours, paid leave, and a pension fund. Using a stated preference method allows calculation of WTP for benefits in this setting, despite the lack of data on worker transitions, and the fact that many workers are self-employed, which makes it difficult to use revealed preference methods. Workers highly value job stability: the average worker would be willing to forgo a 27 percent increase in income to obtain a one-year contract (relative to no contract), or to forgo a 12 percent increase to obtain thirty days of termination notice. There is substantial heterogeneity in WTP by type of employment and gender: women value shorter working hours more than men, while government workers place a higher value on contracts than do private-sector employees.en-USCC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGOINFORMALITYWORKING CONDITIONSCHOICE EXPERIMENTJournal ArticleWorld Bank10.1596/40777