Working in the shadows - Informal employment in Ethiopia

FES Ethiopia launched its “Working in the shadows – Informal employment in Ethiopia” study on 23 May in an event where stakeholders from the diplomatic community, international organizations, members of civil society, academia, students, representatives of CETU, trade unions, employers’ confederation and government were in attendance.

Welcoming remarks from the German Ambassador Stephen Auer and ILO Country Director Alexio Musindo emphasized the poor working and vulnerable conditions informal workers in Ethiopia are employed in. They also stressed that the high incidence of informality in the Ethiopian economy is a major challenge to its sustainable development.  

The authors of the study, Mr. Jürgen Schwettman, Mr. Rudolf Traub-Merz and Mr. Mulu Teka presented their findings on how the informal economy is organized in the country, its nature, characteristics and they presented an analysis of the interest of those in informal employment in trade unions. Schwettmann and Traub-Merz also showed ways forward on how to organize informal workers and their inclusion into the formal economy.

The study launch concluded with an art exhibition showcasing the works of different artists on what informal employment looks like in Ethiopia.