ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND LABOUR MARKET DUALISM IN ANAMBRA, NIGERIA: AN ANALYSIS OF REINFORCEMENTS MECHANISMS
Keywords:
Environmental quality, environmental sustainability, jobs, labour market dualism, rural labour market, urban labour marketAbstract
Balancing environmental sustainability with full employment presents a persistent macroeconomic challenge in developing economies. While both objectives underpin Sustainable Development Goals 8 and 13, they often impose conflicting policy demands. This study investigates the interaction between labour market dualism and environmental quality in Anambra State, Nigeria. Three questions guide the analysis: how labour market structures shape environmental outcomes, which physical environmental factors influence adverse working conditions and labour choices, and whether sustainability requires distinct labour arrangements. Grounded in the tragedy of the commons and assessed through the New Ecological Paradigm, survey evidence from rural and urban participants reveals that labour market dualism significantly affects sustainability. Rural workers demonstrate stronger preferences for proactive environmental protection and waste reduction, whereas urban operators show limited ecological concern. Transitions from the urban informal to formal sector are driven primarily by physical work environment conditions rather than environmental awareness. To reconcile sustainability with employment, the study recommends expanding green jobs and embedding green economics in Nigeria’s education system. Given strong support for ecocentric values, collaboration with the Labour Network for Sustainability is proposed to ensure environmental policies complement labour participation rather than constrain it.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ebele Stella Nwokoye, Uchenna Collins Udedi, Livinus M. Okeke (Author)
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