A multidimensional analysis of labour violations in West Africa

This paper provides measures of violations of labour regulations that vary across space, time, and type of regulation, allowing for a rich analysis of worker vulnerability. We compute a multidimensional index of labour violations that covers minimum wages, leave benefits and social security in eight West African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo); and measures the persistence of violations over time using individual-level data (2019 to 2022). Overall, we find that three out of four employees in the region are multiply deprived; and, when restricting to longitudinal data, we observe that the multidimensional labour violation index is quite persistent over time, with only 21.5% of employees changing status over the three-year period. These results highlight the structural nature of the phenomena, and the need to foster both workers’ well-being and the rule of law in West Africa.