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Informalization Dynamics and Gains: Why Want a Job Contract?

Author

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  • Ahmed Elsayed
  • Jackline Wahba

    (University of Southampton, UK)

Abstract

This paper examines the dynamics of informality and the extent to which informal workers (without job contracts) transit to formal employment (with job contracts) and whether this transition has changed over time and in particular during the recent political and economic turmoil in Egypt. It also investigates the potential gains/losses associated with holding a job contract. Using panel data from Egypt, we find that after the Arab Spring Revolution, the probability to work without a contract increased, and conditional on being informally employed, the probability to switch from private informal to private formal employment decreased. We also find that working without contract is associated with pay penalty. This pay penalty has increased significantly over time. Furthermore, using Difference in difference techniques, the results show that moving from employment without contract to one with contract is associated with a substantial wage premium.

Suggested Citation

  • Ahmed Elsayed & Jackline Wahba, 2016. "Informalization Dynamics and Gains: Why Want a Job Contract?," Working Papers 1001, Economic Research Forum, revised May 2016.
    • Handle: RePEc:erg:wpaper:1001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gong, Xiaodong & Van Soest, Arthur & Villagomez, Elizabeth, 2004. "Mobility in the Urban Labor Market: A Panel Data Analysis for Mexico," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 53(1), pages 1-36, October.
    2. Tansel, Aysit & Ozdemir, Zeynel / A., 2014. "Determinants of Transitions across Formal/Informal sectors in Egypt," MPRA Paper 61183, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Bosch, Mariano & Maloney, William F., 2010. "Comparative analysis of labor market dynamics using Markov processes: An application to informality," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 621-631, August.
    4. Aysit Tansel & Halil Ibrahim Keskin & Zeynel Abidin Ozdemir, 2015. "Is There an Informal Employment Wage Penalty in Egypt?," Working Papers 976, Economic Research Forum, revised Dec 2015.
    5. Olivier Bargain & Prudence Kwenda, 2014. "The Informal Sector Wage Gap: New Evidence Using Quantile Estimations on Panel Data," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 63(1), pages 117-153.
    6. Tansel, Aysit & Kan, Elif Oznur, 2011. "Labor mobility across the formal/informal divide in Turkey: evidence from individual level data," MPRA Paper 35672, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Aysit Tansel & Halil Ibrahim Keskin & Zeynel Abidin Ozdemir, 2015. "Is There An Infırmal Employment Wage Penalty in Egypt?," ERC Working Papers 1508, ERC - Economic Research Center, Middle East Technical University, revised Sep 2015.
    8. Aysit Tansel & Elif Öznur Acar, 2017. "Labor mobility across the formal/informal divide in Turkey: Evidence from individual-level data," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 44(4), pages 617-635, September.
    9. Ragui Assaad & Caroline Krafft, 2013. "The Structure and Evolution of Employment in Egypt: 1998-2012," Working Papers 805, Economic Research Forum, revised Nov 2013.
    10. Maloney, William F, 1999. "Does Informality Imply Segmentation in Urban Labor Markets? Evidence from Sectoral Transitions in Mexico," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 13(2), pages 275-302, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Deng,Jingyuan & Elmallakh,Nelly Youssef Louis William & Flabbi,Luca & Gatti,Roberta V., 2022. "Labor Market Transitions in Egypt Post-Arab Spring," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10126, The World Bank.

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