The impact of Continental Free Trade Agreements on informal employment in Africa: A case of the manufacturing industry in Zambia

Type:

Report

Date Issued:

November, 2021

Author(s):

Zambia Institute for Labour Research and Development

This study acknowledges the importance of the informal economy in Africa’s context and puts forward structural recommendations for making the informal economy more competitive.

The study attempts to:

1) Assess the prevalence/probability of informal work in the manufacturing industry in Zambia.

2) Measure the impact of trade reforms on the probability of being informally employed in the labour market in the manufacturing industry in Zambia (including specific job characteristics, industry indicators, and tariffs).

3) Evaluate the perspectives of key officials regarding the impact of trade policies and reforms on informal employment in Zambia.

4) Put forward firm proposals on the appropriate and acceptable framework for informal workers, policymakers, trade unions, government and experts to engage on informal employment in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Zambia.