MONROVIA — The informal workers who make up more than two-thirds of Liberia's workforce labor under unsafe conditions, scant legal protection and little recourse to justice, two new United Nations assessments have found, exposing a wide gap between the country's labor laws and the lives of the people they are meant to cover.
The reports were launched Wednesday at the One UN House in Monrovia by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, alongside an advocacy brief on protecting informal workers, who account for an estimated 68% of the national workforce. The studies are "A Legal Analysis of Liberia's Labour Laws and Their Application to Workers in the Informal Economy" and an assessment of working conditions in Grand Cape Mount County.
OHCHR Liberia Representative Christian Mukosa said the assessments were built through collaboration among the Ministry of Labour, the Independent National Commission on Human Rights, the Ministry of Justice, civil society and informal workers themselves, reflecting the lived experiences of those whose voices shaped the research.
"Despite their critical contribution to economic growth and community resilience, informal economy workers continue to face numerous challenges, including unsafe working conditions, income insecurity, limited access to social protection, weak labour protections, and barriers to accessing justice," Mukosa said. "Women, young people, and children remain particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse."
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The sector spans market trading, transportation, domestic work, small-scale agriculture and artisanal production. Mukosa credited Liberia with labor reforms, including the Decent Work Act of 2015, the ratification of 27 International Labour Organization conventions and the inclusion of labor priorities in the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, but said the reports reveal a sharp gap between those commitments and their enforcement.
The legal framework, the studies found, remains geared toward formal employment and lacks provisions for the realities of informal work, leaving workers thinly protected on occupational safety, job security, collective bargaining, social security and legal remedies. Although the Decent Work Act tasks the Ministry of Labour with overseeing all workers, Mukosa said the ministry is hampered by limited funding and staffing, the absence of a specialized unit for informal workers and the lack of data systems to track their needs.
The Grand Cape Mount assessment produced some of the starkest figures. More than 72% of informal workers surveyed reported little or no knowledge of labor laws, and over 81% said they had never received any training on their rights, findings compounded by weak inspection capacity and the absence of dedicated structures to address their concerns.
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In response, OHCHR is urging reforms to legally recognize informal workers, expand social protection and improve workplace safety, including broader access to health insurance, maternity benefits and pensions, stronger safety standards, gender-responsive policies and pathways to formalization. Such measures, Mukosa said, are essential to protecting livelihoods, reducing inequality and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.
Elvis A. Tamba, president of the Federation of Informal Sector Workers of Liberia, called for the Decent Work Act to be amended to address the sector directly. "Without formal laws, workers in the informal sector lack the reliance and legal standing necessary to defend their interests," he said. Tamba said the federation was formed under the Liberia Labor Congress after a multi-stakeholder engagement in November and held a convention on Dec. 10, 2025, where delegates elected leaders and adopted a constitution. The group has since secured articles of incorporation, submitted documents to the Ministry of Labour for approval, engaged the International Labour Organization and the American Solidarity Center, and drafted a five-year plan.
Assistant Justice Minister for Administration and Public Safety Edric Noah called the reports timely and said they support Liberia's National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights by exposing legal and institutional gaps. "The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Justice, remains committed to protecting the rights of all workers, including those within the informal economy," he said, pledging support for fair resolution of labor disputes and continued collaboration with OHCHR, the Ministry of Labour, civil society and development partners.
