Paper short abstract:

Our study examines whether the sector of employment and the origin country of the employer matter for the multidimensional well-being of Ethiopian female workers in the apparel and floriculture sectors. The study uses a recent survey data collected on 2515 female workers in this context.

Paper long abstract:

Governments across the developing world are preoccupied with creating jobs for their growing labour force by relying heavily on foreign investments. While these investments are ensuring job creation especially for the female labour force, the quality of these jobs have attracted discussions in both academic and societal debates. However, these debates are limited to workers’ job satisfaction and working conditions. There is limited research on the wellbeing consequences of these jobs, especially related to the sector of employment and the origin country of investors, who operate within distinct compliance regimes to labour standards. Our study examines whether the sector of employment and the origin country of the employer matter for the multidimensional well-being of Ethiopian female workers in the apparel and floriculture sectors. The study uses a recent survey data collected on 2515 female workers in this context. Our findings indicate that insufficient incomes in both sectors of employment is negatively associated with female workers’ multidimensional and emotional wellbeing. We do not find evidence that the origin country of the investor matters but distinct individual characteristics such as education, migration status and social relationships determine female workers’ well-being.