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Determinants of urban job attainment in Kenya across time

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  • Wamuthenya, W.R.

Abstract

Kenya has experienced a sharp decline in formal sector employment and a corresponding increase in informal sector employment. This paper examines the role played by various factors in influencing the sorting of individuals into different sectors of employment in urban Kenya. It examines whether factors influencing the location of individuals in different sectors change over time and differ across gender and thus contributes to an understanding of gender differences in job attainment. The paper complements the issues addressed in two other studies by the author on the remarkable rise in female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) and on the gender gap in the incidence of unemployment. As may be expected, in both periods, experience and education are highly valued in the formal sector. Over time, the importance of education in securing labour market access increases by about 5 and 16 percentage points for primary and secondary education levels respectively. However, there are sharp gender differences. For men, the importance of education increases while for women it declines suggesting the presence of labour market segregation. Over time, the negative effect of marital status on female formal sector participation declines reflecting the increasing insertion of married women in the labour market. Underscoring the use of the informal sector as a last resort option, I find that declines in husbands’ real earnings are associated with a sharp increase in women’s participation in the informal sector. The increasing participation of women in the vulnerable informal sector is consistent with the feminist version of the structuralist characterisation of the informal sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Wamuthenya, W.R., 2010. "Determinants of urban job attainment in Kenya across time," ISS Working Papers - General Series 19918, International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam (ISS), The Hague.
    • Handle: RePEc:ems:euriss:19918
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Robert Pollin & Mwangi wa Githinji, 2008. "An Employment-Targeted Economic Program for Kenya," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13219.
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    5. Louise Fox & Melissa Sekkel Gaal, 2008. "Working Out of Poverty : Job Creation and the Quality of Growth in Africa," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 6434.
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    7. Amanda Ellis & Jozefina Cutura & Nouma Dione & Ian Gillson & Clare Manuel & Judy Thongori, 2007. "Gender and Economic Growth in Kenya : Unleashing the Power of Women," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 6810.
    8. Folbre, Nancy, 1986. "Hearts and spades: Paradigms of household economics," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 245-255, February.
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    Keywords

    education; feminist dualist and structuralist views; formal sector; gender; informal sector; labour market segregation;
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