The subjective well-being of day labourers in South Africa: The role of income and geographical location

Abstract

Background: The informal economy in South Africa provides employment to large numbers of people who would otherwise have no opportunity to earn a living. Yet informal activities, such as day labouring, generate highly uncertain returns. Although it seems reasonable to conclude that day labourers would be dissatisfied with their lives, this is not necessarily the case as several factors contribute to people’s subjective well-being. Aim: This study is in response to a call for more research on the subjective well-being of marginalised groups in South Africa’s informal labour market. Setting: The day labour market in South Africa, whose members congregate at hiring sites hoping to be picked up by passers-by in need of temporary, casual workers. Methods: Using Sen’s Capability Approach, the study builds on earlier research conducted on the general well-being of day labourers in South Africa, with specific focus on their subjective well-being and geographical location. The results from a countrywide survey of 3830 day labourers were used in a regression analysis to compare the subjective well-being among day labourers across the nine provinces of South Africa. Results: There are statistically significant differences in the well-being of day labourers across the nine provinces. Economic variables play a role in both objective and subjective measures of well-being, while attitudinal and comparison variables are significant for the objective and subjective measures, respectively. Conclusions: Although they have to operate in harsh conditions, day labourers in South Africa display agency by choosing to migrate to richer provinces in search of greater economic opportunity and reward. However, these potential gains are often negated by increased levels of competition and thus depressed wage levels. How to nurture marginalised groups’ abilities to exercise agency and take more control of their lives represents fertile ground for researchers in future.

Max-Neef en die strukturele kwesbaarheid van dagloners in Mbombela en Emalahleni, Suid-Afrika

“…Tienduisende mans (en in sommige gevalle vrouens) staan elke dag op die straathoeke van SuidAfrika se dorpe en stede in die hoop om ʼn tydelike werk vir ʼn dag as ʼn dagloner te kry. Heelwat is al geskryf oor dagloners in SuidAfrika (Blaauw et al 2018;Theodore et al 2018;Mapendere 2019;Xweso 2019). Uit hierdie studies het dit duidelik geword dat die dagloner kwesbaar en gemarginaliseer is en baie min of geen steun van die staat en gemeenskap ontvang nie (Xweso 2019:148;Mapendere 2019:113).…”

“…In die onderhoude het ons gebruik gemaak van beide kwantitatiewe en verklarende kwalitatiewe vrae. ʼn Vraelys, wat kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe vrae bevat, wat herhaaldelik in vorige landswye studies oor dagloners gebruik is (Blaauw et al 2018;Theodore et al 2018), het die basis gevorm van die metodologie van die studie. Vrae is geformuleer om die sosioekonomiese profiel van die dagloners te bepaal.…”

“…Blaauw et al (2019:10) het in hulle studie na die welstandservarings van die afvalherwinnaars gevind dat toegang tot afval, wat verhoogde inkomste lewer, toegeneentheid en geborgenheid skep wat direk verband hou met positiewe welstandservaringe. So ook was subjektiewe welstandservaring van die dagloners wat beter inkomste verdien het beter as dié van dagloners wat minder toegang tot werk en verdienste het, soos vervat in Blaauw et al (2018). Dit hou dan ook direk verband met die moontlikheid en hulle gevoel van manlikheid om vir hulle afhanklikes te kan sorg (Malinga 2015:115).…”

“…Die moontlike uitputting van hierdie hulpbronne is dan ook een van die grootste risiko's vir die Emalahleni-munisipaliteit. Volgens dié munisipaliteit het die stad se werkloosheidskoers van 27.3% in 2011 afgeneem tot 23.2% in 2015 (Emalahleni Municipality 2017).Die resultate is aangebied volgens die geïdentifiseerde temas en gekoppel aan die relevante FMB.Uit die studies vanBlaauw et al (2018),Valenzuela et al (2006),Theodore et al (2018), Xweso (2019) en Mapendere (2019) blyk duidelik dat die dagloner in Suid-Afrika sowel as in die Verenigde State van Amerika relatief jonk is en gebruik word om harde handearbeid te verrig in onder andere die konstruksiebedryf, tuinwerk, plaaswerk en die op en aflaai van trokke.Die resultate in die studie het gewys dat die dagloners in beide stede almal swart mans is met ʼn gemiddelde ouderdom van 37 jaar, met die oudste 57 en die jongste 19. Interessant is die feit dat die dagloners se gemiddelde ouderdom in Mbombela 40 teenoor die jonger 34 in Emalahleni is.…”

Investigating the subjective well-being of the informally employed: A case study of day labourers in Windhoek and Pretoria

“…Many unemployed people are therefore active in the informal economy in South Africa and Namibia, where they engage in a variety of survivalist activities, such as day labouring (Blaauw, Botha & Schenck 2018). Individual unemployment forces scores of men and women in South Africa to offer their services on the street corners and at intersections to make some sort of living and care for their families.…”