Liberia: When 82% of the Workforce Operates Informally, Rethinking Work and Entrepreneurship

Liberia, a West African country still marked by civil wars and the Ebola epidemic, continues to struggle to structure a formal labor market despite several years of economic reconstruction. It is against this backdrop that the Liberian Observer reopens the debate on work and entrepreneurship. According to data from LISGIS (Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services) cited by the outlet, dated 2021, only 18 percent of working-age Liberians hold formal wage jobs, while roughly 82 percent work in informal activities or self-employment. A notable point highlighted in the article: although informal entrepreneurship sustains the majority of the population, most Liberians would still prefer a stable salaried job over running a small business. This situation raises concerns for public authorities and donors regarding employment policy: a labor market dominated by informality means a reduced tax base, virtually nonexistent social protection, and heightened vulnerability of workers to economic shocks. Analytically, this paradox - a preference for wage employment in an economy where entrepreneurship is the norm for survival - reveals a structural weakness in Liberia's formal private sector, still heavily dependent on raw materials (iron ore, rubber, gold) and lacking industrial diversification, rather than a deliberate cultural choice toward self-employment.