Work opportunities and frictions for rural child migrants in West African cities

This chapter looks at the participation of rural children and youth in the urban labour market and, specifically, focuses on the first years of their migration. In Burkina Faso, the proportion of the working population employed informally was 74.3 per cent in 2001 but few studies have focused specifically on employment practices. This chapter examines the broad range of activities in which rural child and youth migrants engage, and the reasons behind their tactical choices as urban workers. The chapter addresses both diversities and similarities in children’s and youth’s experiences, and the transformation individuals undergo as they gain more knowledge about urban ways and the labour market. It is an empirical piece of work that demonstrates what constitutes young migrants’ negotiation of the urban informal economy in Burkina Faso.