Analyzing Structural Heterogeneity of Informal Sector Employment in Kenya

The informal sector accounts for 83 per cent of total employment in Kenya. This study sought to understand duality and its driving factors to inform policy on enhancing decent work in the informal sector in Kenya. Using a multinomial logit analysis, the study established that workers are motivated to engage in more than one job in the informal sector due to its structure, to get more earnings and to meet the standard of living. Indeed, employees with low skills, less income and those residing in rural areas are likely to have two jobs in the informal sector. Further, workers in formal full time employment are less likely to engage in duality compared to their counterparts who have no contract. Women and youth are more likely than men to work on multiple jobs in the informal sector.