Working in West Africa after Retirement Age

Abstract

Until recently, the retirement age in most French-speaking capitals in West Africa was 55. However, only people who work for the government or private fi rms in the formal sector of the economy pay contributions and are therefore entitled to pensions. Th e majority of workers work in the informal sector and do not receive pensions. Th ere is very little interest in seniors (defi ned here as people 55 and older) in the labor market, mainly because they represent just 5 percent of the population. Yet there are at least two good reasons for looking into their situation. Th e fi rst has to do with the sharp upturn in their numbers, which will grow more rapidly in Africa than any other continent (Velkoff and Kowal 2007). Th e second concerns the participation of seniors in the labor force at relatively later ages.1 Who works aft er 55 and in what lines of business? What are the proportions of older men and women in the labor market? Do some people see retirement as a time to retrain and change occupation? Is the prolonged activity of old workers a potential source of confl ict between generations? To answer these questions, this chapter analyzes data from the 1-2-3 surveys coordinated by the Observatoire economique et statistique d’Afrique Subsaharienne (AFRISTAT) and Developpement, Institutions et Mondialisation (DIAL) in seven capitals in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).2 Th is secondary analysis of a survey designed mainly to study the labor market identifi es the position of seniors on the labor market in each of the capitals studied, diff erentiating between informal sector workers and pension recipients. Most of these people still have children to support and therefore need to work.