COVID-19 and informal work in 11 cities: recovery pathways amidst continued crisis
- Alfers, Laura C, Braham, Christy, Chen, Martha A, Grapsa, Erofili, Harvey, Jenna, Ismail, Ghida, Ogando, Ana C, Reed, Sarah O, Roever, Sally, Rogan, Michael, Sinha, Shalini, Skinner, Caroline, Valdivia, Marcela
- Authors: Alfers, Laura C , Braham, Christy , Chen, Martha A , Grapsa, Erofili , Harvey, Jenna , Ismail, Ghida , Ogando, Ana C , Reed, Sarah O , Roever, Sally , Rogan, Michael , Sinha, Shalini , Skinner, Caroline , Valdivia, Marcela
- Date: 2022
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/473850 , vital:77687 , https://www.wiego.org/publications/covid-19-and-informal-work-11-cities-recovery-pathways-amidst-continued-crisis
- Description: The majority of the global workforce–61%–is informal and has been disproportionately impacted by measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and by the accompanying economic down-turn. The focus on aggregate job and livelihood losses masks the multiple drivers behind these losses that are leaving labour mar-kets in general, but particularly in developing countries, without a viable path to recovery. The global informal workforce is diverse, and understanding experiences of workers in different contexts and sectors is required to design effective recovery policies. This Working Paper reflects the findings from the longitudinal study of nearly 2,000 informal workers in 11 cities around the world. Sur-veys and in-depth interviews were conducted with domestic workers, home-based workers, street vendors and market traders, and waste pickers in mid-2020 and then again in mid-2021. The findings reveal the differentiated pathways of impact and thus re-covery for different groups of informal workers approximately a year and a half into the pandemic. The study shows that the eco-nomic fallout of the COVID-19 crisis remains deep and persistent for workers at the base of the economy. Key findings include: Earnings for informal workers interviewed are still far below their pre-pandemic levels. Most respondents have not fully recovered their ability to work. By mid-2021, the typical worker was only earning 64% of her/his pre-COVID-19 earnings. In addition, the average number of days worked per week was only four in mid-2021, still considerably lower than the 5.5-day average in the pre-pandemic period.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022
- Authors: Alfers, Laura C , Braham, Christy , Chen, Martha A , Grapsa, Erofili , Harvey, Jenna , Ismail, Ghida , Ogando, Ana C , Reed, Sarah O , Roever, Sally , Rogan, Michael , Sinha, Shalini , Skinner, Caroline , Valdivia, Marcela
- Date: 2022
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/473850 , vital:77687 , https://www.wiego.org/publications/covid-19-and-informal-work-11-cities-recovery-pathways-amidst-continued-crisis
- Description: The majority of the global workforce–61%–is informal and has been disproportionately impacted by measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and by the accompanying economic down-turn. The focus on aggregate job and livelihood losses masks the multiple drivers behind these losses that are leaving labour mar-kets in general, but particularly in developing countries, without a viable path to recovery. The global informal workforce is diverse, and understanding experiences of workers in different contexts and sectors is required to design effective recovery policies. This Working Paper reflects the findings from the longitudinal study of nearly 2,000 informal workers in 11 cities around the world. Sur-veys and in-depth interviews were conducted with domestic workers, home-based workers, street vendors and market traders, and waste pickers in mid-2020 and then again in mid-2021. The findings reveal the differentiated pathways of impact and thus re-covery for different groups of informal workers approximately a year and a half into the pandemic. The study shows that the eco-nomic fallout of the COVID-19 crisis remains deep and persistent for workers at the base of the economy. Key findings include: Earnings for informal workers interviewed are still far below their pre-pandemic levels. Most respondents have not fully recovered their ability to work. By mid-2021, the typical worker was only earning 64% of her/his pre-COVID-19 earnings. In addition, the average number of days worked per week was only four in mid-2021, still considerably lower than the 5.5-day average in the pre-pandemic period.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022
The COVID-19 crisis and the South African informal economy: A stalled recovery
- Rogan, Michael, Skinner, Caroline
- Authors: Rogan, Michael , Skinner, Caroline
- Date: 2022
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/478161 , vital:78160 , ISBN 978-92-9267-171-6 , doi:10.35188/UNU-WIDER/2022/171-6
- Description: This paper seeks to identify the differentiated impacts of the crisis on specific groups of informal workers. The analysis draws on official nationally representative labour force surveys collected quarterly by South Africa's national statistical agency (Statistics South Africa). Based on an analysis of six quarters of labour market data (with the first quarter of 2020 as the 'pre-COVID' baseline), the paper aims to identify the labour market impacts of the first three waves of the pandemic and of one of the world's strictest 'lockdowns' (as it was described at the time-in April 2020). In investigating the contours of the pandemic's impact on the South African informal economy, the paper focuses, in particular, on the different impacts by gender, sector, and status in employment. The findings show that both relative and absolute job losses have been greater in the informal economy, while the rate and level of recovery have been greater for formal employment. Further, the data suggest uneven impacts within the informal economy with women informal workers, those working in the informal sector and those in retail and community and social services being particularly hard hit. The pandemic period has thus widened pre-existing inequalities and fault lines. In policy terms, this suggests that the informal economy should be a priority in economic recovery efforts but also that support requires differentiated approaches and a range of measures
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022
- Authors: Rogan, Michael , Skinner, Caroline
- Date: 2022
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/478161 , vital:78160 , ISBN 978-92-9267-171-6 , doi:10.35188/UNU-WIDER/2022/171-6
- Description: This paper seeks to identify the differentiated impacts of the crisis on specific groups of informal workers. The analysis draws on official nationally representative labour force surveys collected quarterly by South Africa's national statistical agency (Statistics South Africa). Based on an analysis of six quarters of labour market data (with the first quarter of 2020 as the 'pre-COVID' baseline), the paper aims to identify the labour market impacts of the first three waves of the pandemic and of one of the world's strictest 'lockdowns' (as it was described at the time-in April 2020). In investigating the contours of the pandemic's impact on the South African informal economy, the paper focuses, in particular, on the different impacts by gender, sector, and status in employment. The findings show that both relative and absolute job losses have been greater in the informal economy, while the rate and level of recovery have been greater for formal employment. Further, the data suggest uneven impacts within the informal economy with women informal workers, those working in the informal sector and those in retail and community and social services being particularly hard hit. The pandemic period has thus widened pre-existing inequalities and fault lines. In policy terms, this suggests that the informal economy should be a priority in economic recovery efforts but also that support requires differentiated approaches and a range of measures
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2022
- «
- ‹
- 1
- ›
- »