Labor Markets in Rural and Urban Haiti Based on the First Household Survey for Haiti
Summary — This paper analyzes labor markets in Haiti, focusing on farm and nonfarm employment and income generation. It uses data from the first Living Conditions Survey of 7,186 households, representative at the regional level, to identify key determinants of employment and productivity.
Key Findings
- Education, gender, location, and migration status are key determinants of employment and productivity in nonfarm activities.
- Education is key to earning higher wages and incomes.
- Producer income increases with farm size, land title, and access to tools, electricity, roads, irrigation, and other farm inputs.
- Workers in rural areas in the low end of the income distribution earn more than their urban peers.
- Access to more land is key to increase farmer income.
Full Description
This paper addresses labor markets in Haiti, including farm and nonfarm employment and income generation. The analyses are based on the first Living Conditions Survey of 7,186 households covering the whole country and representative at the regional level. The findings suggest that four key determinants of employment and productivity in nonfarm activities are education, gender, location, and migration status. This is emphasized when nonfarm activities are divided into low-return and high-return activities. The wage and producer income analyses reveal that education is key to earning higher wages and incomes. Moreover, producer incomes increase with farm size, land title, and access to tools, electricity, roads, irrigation, and other farm inputs.