Title: COVID-19 pandemic and work behaviour of non-farm household enterprises: evidence from Nigerian data

Authors: Obed I. Ojonta; Jonathan E. Ogbuabor

Addresses: Department of Economics, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria ' Department of Economics, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

Abstract: This study investigated the influence of COVID-19 pandemic on the work behaviour of non-farm household enterprises (NHEs) in Nigeria using multinomial logistic regression technique and Nigeria's 2020 Living Standard Measurement Survey data. Specifically, the study addressed two main questions: how has COVID-19 pandemic impacted on the work behaviour of NHEs in Nigeria? What other factors significantly influence the work behaviour of these enterprises? The results show that the influence of COVID-19 pandemic on the work behaviour of NHEs in Nigeria is negative and significant. The results further indicate that other key drivers of the work behaviour of NHEs in Nigeria include sufficient soap to wash hands, skipping a meal, thought of eating less, and running out of food. Consequently, the study recommended that government should ensure that NHEs are adequately funded during and after the pandemic in order to strengthen their operations on a sustainable basis.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; work behaviour; non-farm household enterprises; multinomial logit model; Nigeria.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEPEE.2025.148872

International Journal of Economic Policy in Emerging Economies, 2025 Vol.22 No.3/4, pp.355 - 371

Accepted: 20 Sep 2022
Published online: 30 Sep 2025 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article