Paper short abstract:

In Owerri, Nigeria road-junctions are labour markets for migrants. Investigation revealed that labourers roam in a disorganized way, rush on employers and they work 7 - 12 hours daily. Since labourers are ever mobile they are in possession of all their tools. Government should institutionalize them.

Paper long abstract:

In the decades after Structural adjustment in Nigeria, the labour market has changed significantly. The informal labour market has expanded in cities as the adverse effects of the neo-liberal reconstruction of the Nigerian state and markets have deepened. However the history of the conglomeration of casual labour in Owerri (the capital of Imo State) is linked to 1976 when the state was created. Road-junctions became recruitment posts that serve as labour market for migrants that commute daily from the rural hinterlands to the metropolis in search of jobs and by evening return back to their villages or dwell in squatter settlements at the suburb. This study identifies ways the informality is expressed, examines the nature of involvement of employers and workers in diverse informal networks of exchange, and determines how they can be assisted by the state. Primary data were obtained from structured and unstructured questionnaires, use of interview schedule and focus group discussions (FGDs). The study revealed that labourers roam around the junctions in a disorganized way and rush on employers of labour; and their work hours range from 7 - 12 hours daily. Since labourers are ever mobile they are in possession of all their tools each morning. They dominate in construction work and cargo handling. Employers admit that there is good bargaining, and no agreement signing is required during recruitment, but 55 percent work under unfavourable conditions due to zero regulations. The issuance of licenses and creation of job centers for labourers by Government is being recommended.