Informal Jobs Research Articles

Restrictions on the Emission of a Digital Currency in a Central Reserve Bank for Minor Transactions

The objective of this study was to identify the challenges that the Central Reserve Bank of Peru has faced with the issuance of a digital currency that can be used as a substitute for cash in retail transactions. The study was carried out by using the hypothetical-deductive method with a basic descriptive approach rather than an experimental one. To estimate the probability of creating the Digital Currency of the Central Bank and the economic variables that explain its challenges and cross-sectional information obtained from the 2020 National Household Survey with the discrete choice model (Logit). According to the research results, i) the possibility of using a digital currency increases by 46.83% if you have a formal job compared to an informal job. ii) If the individual has an internet connection, the probability of using digital currency is 8.54%. iii) If he lives in a rural area, the probability of using digital currency is 1.79. iv) The educational level influences the probability of the use of digital currency by 1.47% if they have secondary education 16.34% have no higher education and 26.44% having university education. v) Individual’s age is important for the use of a digital currency. Older people are less likely to adapt to technology than people between the age of 18 and 24 with 8.74% use of digital currency. vi) People considered poor will have a probability of reduction of 2.26% by the use of digital currency. These findings allow the researcher to conclude that public policies should be undertaken to increase financial inclusion, close connectivity gaps and create alliances with private investment to enhance people's digital skills and the adoption of digital means of payment.

PANDEMI COVID-19 DAN TURNOVER KE PEKERJAAN INFORMAL

COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the labor market in Indonesia, such as decreasing wages and layoff. The decline of worker demand may drive job turnover into the informal sector. Using Google Trends data, this study aims to explore the existence of informal job turnover signals during physical restriction and new normal in Indonesia. Four keyword categories: “PHK”, “situs loker”, “kurir”, “driver online”, and “berjualan” were used to analyze layoff and search the informal job opportunity. The trend analysis results using local regression (LOESS) and difference-in-differences (DD) methods found a signal of informal job turnover during physical restriction and new normal. The job turnover signal was shown by increasing search intensity about “PHK” (layoff), followed by the search intensity of job opportunities such “berjualan online” (online selling) and “lowongan kurir” (courier jobs).

Worker Transition Across Formal and Informal Sectors: A Panel Data Analysis in Indonesia

This paper examines the transition of workers between formal and informal jobs based on socio-demographic and employment characteristics. The study identifies factors that increase the likelihood of workers remaining in formal employment. The multinomial logistic regression model is incorporated to analyze labor transitions based on data from Indonesia's National Labor Force Survey (Sakernas) of 2017–2018. The findings show that 56.34% of workers were in informal activities and 30.58% were in formal jobs. Workers who transition from informal to formal jobs made up 6.84%, while 6.24% transitioned from formal to informal occupations. Informal workers were reluctant to move to the formal sector. Workers who are younger, unmarried, male, living in urban areas, and more educated are more likely to relocate from the informal to the formal sector. Work experience and participation in certified training can help shift workers to the formal sector, especially within the manufacturing industry.

Transformational leadership and informal learning

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsTransformational leadership (TL) has a positive effect upon informal learning and job involvement. Informal learning positively enhances the effect of TL on job involvement. Self-efficacy also positively mediates between TL and informal learning.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Ageing, agency and work: Brazilian older adults building spaces of opportunity in the United States

ABSTRACT This article examines an understudied dimension of transnational mobilities and ageing: namely, the experiences of ageing parents who take on short-term informal jobs during their extended visits to their migrant offspring abroad. Based on ethnographic research with ageing parents in Brazil and their accounts of short-term (visitor) transnational mobilities and paid work in the United States, where their children have emigrated, the article examines how older parents on a visitor (‘tourist’) visa take on short-term jobs and how their work and earnings abroad make them feel empowered. The article draws on a spatio-temporal analytical framework to discuss how migrants’ temporal and spatial journeys are shaped by their ability to mobilize resources such as trusted transnational networks and translate these into transnational spaces of opportunity. The article concludes that through these specific configurations of time and space older adults are able to make use of their own work to improve livelihoods for themselves and their families, which they recount as enabling and empowering.

Is the mental health of older adults receiving care from their children related to their children’s dual burden of caregiving and work stress? A linked lives perspective

Objectives Mental health problems are a major concern in the older population in Sweden, as is the growing number of older adults aging alone in their homes and in need of informal care. Using a linked lives perspective, this study explored if older parents’ mental health is related to their children’s dual burden of informal caregiving and job strain. Methods Data from a nationally representative Swedish survey, SWEOLD, were used. Mental health problems in older age (mean age 88) were measured with self-reported ‘mild’ or ‘severe’ anxiety and depressive symptoms. A primary caregiving adult child was linked to each older parent, and this child’s occupation was matched with a job exposure matrix to assess job strain. Logistic regression analyses were conducted with an analytic sample of 334. Results After adjusting for covariates, caregiving children’s lower job control and greater job strain were each associated with mental health problems in their older parents (OR 2.52, p = 0.008 and OR 2.56, p = 0.044, respectively). No association was found between caregiving children’s job demands and their older parents’ mental health (OR 1.08, p = 0.799). Conclusion In line with the linked lives perspective, results highlight that the work–life balance of informal caregiving adult children may play a role in their older parent’s mental health.

Book Review: Pandemia y crisis el COVID-19 en América Latina. Gutiérrez. G., Herrera, S., Kemmer, J., Peña, L., et ál. (2021). (1.ª ed.). Universidad de Guadalajara

"Pandemia y crisis. El COVID-19 en América Latina" is a collective work by Latin American authors aiming to analyze the reality lived by the countries facing the pandemic by COVID-19 in the region from a social, economic, and public policy formulation perspective. Then, the diversity of effects on society is studied with an important increase in unemployment and businesses closing due to lockdowns leading to the increase of informal jobs and the socioeconomic effects of it.

Prevalence and risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorder among female domestic workers employed in private homes in South India: A cross-sectional study

Objectives: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common occupational health problem accounting for a larger number of compensation days and disability among workers. An invisible workforce of female domestic workers (FDWs) is involved in back-breaking jobs in the informal job sectors, and yet, there are no studies to quantify their work-related MSD’s (WMSDs). The objective of the study is to determine the prevalence of WMSDs among FDWs employed at private houses in Bengaluru, South India. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 408 randomly selected FDWs with a comparative group. The trained interviewer assessed WMSDs using a standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal questionnaire and psychosocial distress using the general health questionnaire–12. Results: A high prevalence of WMSD was reported in the neck (19.6%), shoulder (23.8%), elbow (12%), upper back (31.9%), and ankle (26%) in domestic workers than the non-domestic workers. Age above 37 years (AOR: 1.77, 95% CI: 1.03–3.06), house cleaning ([>1715 h/year – AOR: 1.30, 95% CI: 0.60–2.84] [1714–555 h/year – AOR: 1.30, 95% CI:0.66–2.59]), and clothing ([Care >1460 h/year – AOR: 2.44, 95% CI: 1.12–5.35] [109–1459 h/year – AOR: 1.98, 95% CI: 0.95–4.10]) were factors associated with neck pain in FDW. Moreover, work experience of more than 10 years (AOR: 2.10, 95% CI: 1.32–3.34) and distress (AOR: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.25–3.61) was a factor associated with lower back pain in FDW. Conclusion: FDWs are substantially affected by WMSDs in the neck and lower back due to house cleaning and clothing care tasks performed in the workplace setting, respectively.

Exploring the roles of fathers from the perspective of informal women workers: a longitudinal mixed methods study from Durban, South Africa

ABSTRACT Informal women workers are vulnerable to poverty and job insecurity, but little is known about how they manage multiple childcare and work responsibilities without maternity protection. We explore perspectives of informal working mothers about the role played by their child’s father. A longitudinal mixed-methods study was conducted among women informal workers. In-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted at transition points from pregnancy until after women returned to work. Focus group discussions (FGDs) explored the social support systems participants relied on. Twenty-four informal workers were enrolled; 87 IDIs conducted; 14 women participated in three FGDs. Participants had low-paid, insecure informal jobs. Twenty-three participants were in a relationship with the child’s father, and nine were living with him. Fathers played a central role providing emotional, practical and financial support, particularly fathers living in the same household. Most resident fathers took a strong practical role caring for the household and for the baby but traditional practices limited non-resident father’s ability to provide emotional or practical support. Most fathers had low incomes and were unable to provide financial support, so many women returned to work early. Fathers are willing to provide substantial support that is crucial for family well-being, but non-residence is a barrier.

Urban wage premium for women: evidence across the wage distribution

The urban wage premium (UWP), that is, the phenomenon of higher wages in denser areas, is rarely separately estimated for men and women. Yet, men and women behave differently in the labor market. This study sought to uncover whether (i) agglomeration economies in dense areas of Brazil differently benefit men and women; (ii) the female and male UWPs change across the wage distribution, and (iii) whether the male and female UWPs differ across formal and informal jobs. We do so using Brazil’s National Continuous Household Sample Survey (PNADC/IBGE) gathered between 2012 and 2019. We found that the female UWP is on average 11.3%, almost double the average male UWP of 5.7%. We also found that the female UWP was higher in formal and informal jobs and across various agglomeration levels. Quantile regressions show that the magnitudes of and gender differences in the UWP increase with wages. Studies that exclude women may thus underestimate the UWP, especially for high-paying jobs. The average UWP hides important heterogeneity that exists across the wage distribution and formality status.

Ecotourism of Cireundeu and Basic Sundanese' Way of Life

Nowadays, some indigenous religion members in Indonesia are still fighting to grasp a fully civil rights recognition granted by the state. However, the way of such effort undertaken by people of Sunda Wiwitan of Cireundeu Cimahi is different. Rather than claiming the civil rights rigorously, they introduce as well as organize community ecotourism by preserving natural environment combined with Sundanese culture. This article aims at uncovering social changing around the shifting point of organizing ecotourism, objections from outsiders and adaptation with social environment whereby they negotiate with. Based on qualitative research which focuses on observation, in-depth interview, as well as literature study, this paper aims to portray the ecotourism initiative and its recent empowerment in this community which currently makes their customary village (kampung adat) well-known as one of the Sundanese cultural tourism destinations for not only Bandung greater area people, but also for the people of outside Bandung and abroad as well. The result shows that albeit some restrictions on expressing civil rights status still occur, having previous experience of losing informal job and objections from other groups alike, this community can maximize their teaching as well as their natural landscape potential in managing self-ecotourism based on their local cultural values.

The Rota das Emoções in the touristic context of Northeast region of Brazil

The objective is to analyze the importance of the Rota das Emoções in the development of Piauí's territory. Piauí is studied in the context of the Northeast of Brazil, geographical space of Piauí and public tourism policies, with a focus on the Programa de Regionalização do Turismo (Tourism Regionalization Program) that suggests itineraries with the emergence of the Rota das Emoções (Route of Emotions), a regional route that comprises the Brazilian states of Piauí, Ceará and Maranhão. The relevance is given by the significant growth acquired by tourism in contemporary society. Governmental actions that promote territorial tourism diffusion are examined in Brazil, especially in Piauí. Private policies that regulate and establish tourist services that generate formal and informal jobs and trigger transformations with a multiplier effect. However, infrastructural transformations do not meet social objectives, directed to the market and to people's well-being.

Gender-based violence during COVID-19 lockdown: case study of a community in Lagos, Nigeria.

Gender-based violence (GBV) has been identified to be one of the ripple effects of the global pandemic. In countries like Nigeria, the situation is hypothesized to be worse because of widespread poverty and gender inequalities. To examine the exposure of females to GBV during the first 3 months of the COVID-19 lockdown. This cross-sectional study was conducted in a low-income community in Lagos. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 130 respondents selected via systematic random sampling. The mean age of the respondents was 26.89 ± 8.67 years. Majority worked informal jobs, while only 50% had attained beyond primary education. Within the period, the respondents had been subjected to sexual (54.6%), physical (52.3%), verbal assault (41.5%), and online sexual harassment (45.4%); of which only 30% reported to the police. Furthermore, respondents subjected to sexual (p=0.004) and physical assault (p=0.032) during the period earned significantly less money than other respondents. The fact that over 1 out of every 2 females was subjected to at least one form of GBV within the short timeframe shows how unsafe girls and women in low-income communities are. This calls for proactive community-level interventions to curb the GBV menace.

Exploring the transition from informal to formal jobs and its consequent impacts on the livelihood of migrant youths in Lagos metropolis

PurposeThe upsurge in global youth migration remains a major concern for policymakers, politicians and academia at large. Given the emerging interests in youth migration and informal jobs in cities around the world, this study aims to establish the barriers limiting the transition of migrant youths, in informal settings, into formal jobs and the consequent impact on their livelihood.Design/methodology/approachLeveraging the push-pull approach of the functionalist migration school, this study uses a primary research design. A structured questionnaire was administered among 150 migrant youths who were selected across informal settings in Lagos, using a convenient sampling technique. Then, a structured face-to-face interview was later conducted among 40 selected migrant youths.FindingsThere is a skill mismatch between the competence of the youths and the requirements of firms in the formal sector, and the migrant youths are largely disenfranchised from opportunities that flow within certain networks. Another critical constraint includes language barrier, ethnicity and religious biases by certain employers. Most migrant youths are economically better off compared to where they came from, even though they are yet to exit the poverty trap.Originality/valueThis study critically examined the challenges faced by the migrant youth population in Lagos, Nigeria, in their bid to transition from informal employment to formal employment.

Social Determination of the Health of Families from Two Neighborhoods in Medellín, Colombia.

To understand the health process, from the approach of the social determination of health in two neighborhoods in Medellín - Colombia, to contribute to the care of people, families, and collectives in their multidimensional reality. Qualitative research from the ethnographic perspective, approaching the general dimension with documentary analysis of social policies and community documents, the particular dimension through focal groups and interviews to community leaders, and the singular dimension with the family visit. Families and collectives live within a sociocultural setting of resistance, overshadowed by moments of flight and displacement derived from violence, with scant participation in city plans and programs and with structural problems of economic and political exclusion. They constructed the territory as space and shelter in the weave that protects and violates them, with processes from uprooting to rooting. The families have maintained protective processes, like family participation in decision making, knowledge on health care, among others, and destructive processes, like informal labor and job instability, without spaces for recreation and with limitations in transportation, in access to health programs and in obtaining food. The health of the families has been determined by historical exclusion to work to obtain resources for a minimum vital subsistence, which is why they suffer social vulnerability due to few opportunities for development; they have lived a transformation process of the territory with resistance, solidarity, and construction of social networks.

The Contextual Dimensions of Informal Economy and Entrepreneurship

This study investigates the global dynamics of the informal economy and the need for the coexistence of both the informal and formal economy. Developing and developed countries are beset with various forms of social and economic problems, such as unemployment, poverty levels, informal jobs, and global issues. Informal Entrepreneurship remains a focal means to reduce unemployment and create jobs in many economies. Using the institutional theory, the informal economy and entrepreneurship dynamics were investigated using a qualitative approach and secondary data from the International Labour Organization and Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing datasets. The findings depict the need to ensure that both the informal and the formal economy coexist well rather than merging them due to their interwoven nature. This calls for adopting a system and holistic perspective for studying facets of informal-formal entrepreneurship in different contexts. Informal economy and informal entrepreneurship are essential for the reduction of global unemployment and the development of innovation in the value chain in their contexts. Globally, the informal economy and informal entrepreneurship provide safety nets, a source of livelihood, and pay informal levies that contribute to economic growth and development. The study shows how informal entrepreneurship contributes to the business environment. The contextual evidence from the literature justifies the necessity for informal entrepreneurship and the economy due to the interplay of poor market conditions, institutional voids, entrepreneurial behavior, and local business dynamics.

Covid-19 Krizi Sürecinin Kadınların Kayıt Dışı İstihdamına Etkileri

Covid-19 krizi sürecinde kayıt dışı çalışan kadınlar gelir ve istihdam kayıplarından en olumsuz etkilenen grup olmuştur. Bu çalışmada, ilgili literatür ışığında Covid-19 krizi sürecinin kadınların kayıt dışı istihdamdaki etkileri toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı boyutları çerçevesinde tartışılmaktadır. Araştırmanın temel bulgularına göre, kadınlar istihdama katıldıkları kayıt dışı çalışma biçimlerinin (ev işçiliği, sanayiye yönelik ev eksenli işler gibi) hem ataerkillik, toplumsal cinsiyetten beslenen özelliklerinden kaynaklı kırılganlığı hem de bu işlerin yüksek düzeyde karantina önlemlerine duyarlı olması nedeniyle büyük istihdam ve gelir kayıpları yaşamışlardır. Salgın önlemlerinin hafifletildiği süreçte ise ortaya çıkan eğilimler Covid-19 krizinin kadınlar için iş gücü piyasasında adeta bir kayıt dışına katılım döngüsü-çıkmazı yaratma potansiyeline işaret etmektedir. Bu ise kayıt dışı istihdama katılımın kadın için daha da artacağı anlamına gelmektedir. Covid-19 kriz süreci kadınların kayıt dışı işlerdeki kötü çalışma koşullu işleri ve toplumsal cinsiyet eşitsizliğini kalıcılaştırmaktadır. Kayıt dışı istihdama yönelik olarak, çalışanların istihdam biçimlerinin yasal düzeyde tanınması; çalışma biçimlerinin, sosyal güvence kapsamına alınması, ücret güvencesi gibi tüm çalışma koşullarının yasal çerçevede düzenlenmesi acil bir gerekliliktir. Kadınlar özelinde bu politika ve programlar, aynı zamanda kadınlara karşı toplumsal cinsiyetçi tutumları dönüştürme, ücretsiz bakım-ev işlerinin ve kadınların iş gücü piyasasında üretim etkinliklerini toplumsal yaşamda daha görünür ve değerli kılacak ilke ve uygulamalar çerçevesinde tasarlanmalıdır.

The Association Between Perceptions of Neighborhood Conditions and the Employment of Emerging Adults Formerly Involved in the Juvenile Justice System

Although prior research finds that poor neighborhood conditions are negatively associated with employment, little study has focused on emerging adults who formerly had contact with the juvenile justice system and are frequently engaged in informal job markets. Using a hybrid model and three waves from panel data with formerly juvenile justice-involved emerging adults (18–24 at T1, 20–25 at T2, 20–26 at T3) collected in Philadelphia and Phoenix ( N = 947), we find an inter-individual increase in the degree of disorder within the neighborhood decreases weeks worked for community jobs (between-effect), whereas an intra-individual increase in neighborhood condition scores increases weeks worked for under-the-table jobs among emerging adults (within-effect). Some time-variant and invariant sociodemographic factors, including perceived opportunity for work, mental health, substance use, gang membership, race, and education, are significantly related to employment. Our findings reiterate justice-involved young people may have difficulty sustaining formal employment partially due to neighborhood conditions.

The Employment Effects of Lump-Sum and Contingent Job Insurance Policies: Evidence from Brazil

Abstract Lump-sum job displacement policies (e.g., severance pay) are often presented as a better alternative to contingent policies (e.g., unemployment insurance) in the context of developing countries, under the rationale that the former are less harmful to formal employment as they do not incentivize substitution from formal to informal jobs. First, this paper provides original evidence on the employment effects of lump-sum income in the context of a developing country with high labor informality. A regression discontinuity (RD) design, using Brazilian data, shows that a transfer equivalent to fifteen days of earnings (a) increases the duration out of a formal job by 1.9 weeks, (b) reduces monthly earnings in the next job by 1.6%, and (c) reduces total earnings in the formal labor market by 3.6% over a three-year period. Second, the paper studies the impact of a one-month extension in unemployment insurance (UI) on a comparable sample of displaced workers. UI is shown to have a stronger impact on the duration out of a formal job compared with a lump-sum transfer. In addition, a novel exercise matching administrative and survey data shows that 57% of the decrease in formal employment caused by UI is compensated by an increase in the incidence of informal employment. However, workers receiving the UI extension partially recover the initial employment loss over time in such a way that the adverse impact on employment over a three-year period is similar compared with the lump-sum transfer. Moreover, UI is found to be less harmful to reemployment wages, possibly because it improves workers' bargaining power as it offers insurance against the duration of joblessness. Overall, the UI extension is less detrimental to total earnings in the formal labor market over a three-year period. Hence, although these findings indicate that contingent job insurance policies have a stronger impact on the initial duration out of a formal job and indeed incentivize informal employment, they do not support the notion that lump-sum policies are less harmful to formal employment and earnings in the medium term.

Association between informal employment and depressive symptoms in 11 cities in Latin America

BackgroundMental health is an important contributor to the global burden of disease, and depression is the most prevalent mental disorder in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Informal jobs, often characterized by precarious working conditions, low wages, and limited employment benefits, are also highly prevalent in LAC and may be associated with poorer mental health. Our study tests the association between informal employment and major depressive symptoms in LAC cities. MethodsWe used individual-level data collected by the Development Bank of Latin America via their “Encuesta CAF” (ECAF) 2016, a cross-sectional household survey of 11 LAC cities (N = 5430). Depressive symptoms were measured using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale with possible total score ranging from 0 to 30. Scores were dichotomized, with a score >‾ 16 indicating the presence of major depressive symptoms. Informal employment was defined based on self-reported lack of contribution to the social security system. We used generalized estimating equation (GEE) log-binomial models to estimate the association between informal employment and depressive symptoms overall and by gender. Models were adjusted for age, education, and household characteristics. ResultsOverall, individuals employed in informal jobs had a 27% higher prevalence of major depressive symptoms (Prevalence Ratio [PR]: 1.27; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.00, 1.62) compared to those in formal jobs. The prevalence of depressive symptoms among individuals with informal jobs was higher compared to those with formal jobs in both women (PR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.74) and men (PR: 1.22; 95% CI: 0.90, 1.65). ConclusionsInformal employment in LAC was associated with a higher prevalence of major depressive symptoms. It is important to develop policies aiming at reducing informal jobs and increasing universal social protection for informal workers.