Informal Workers Research Articles

FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI PRODUKTIVITAS TENAGA KERJA DI SEKTOR INFORMAL MASA PANDEMI COVID-19

The increase in the number of informal workers in Malang City occurred during the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic. On the other hand, the average wage or salary for informal workers in Malang City experienced a decline when the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic began. However, the average wage or salary is starting to improve with an increase of 41.05% from 2021 to 2022. The amount of this increase can be indicated to be accompanied by an increase in labor productivity where wages and labor productivity have a very reciprocal relationship. Moreover, productivity is an important element in measuring economic activity. Therefore, the aim of this research is to identify factors that influence labor productivity in the informal sector during the Covid-19 pandemic in Malang City. The data in the research were obtained from Sakernas data for 2021 and 2022. This research used quantitative descriptive methods with cross section data regression. The analysis model used is multiple linear regression analysis. The results of the analysis show that in 2021 training, digital technology, marital status and number of family members will influence the productivity of informal workers. Meanwhile, in 2022 education, training, digital technology, marital status, age and number of family members will influence the productivity of informal workers in Malang City.

Coping Mechanisms amongst Refugee Women and Girls in Post Conflict Situations: A Case of Lusaka Urban Center

Women and girls constitute over half of displaced populations globally, yet their perspectives and needs often go overlooked in policymaking and humanitarian response. This study explores the coping mechanisms utilized by refugee women and girls in post-conflict urban displacement contexts, focusing specifically on Lusaka, Zambia. Adopting a qualitative approach, the research examines the challenges faced, strategies for meeting daily needs, and process of accessing services for refugee women and girls relocated to Zambia's capital. Key findings reveal profound systemic discrimination and barriers obstructing refugees' ability to integrate and meet basic needs. With inadequate access to facilities and widespread harassment, women rely heavily on fragile social networks, exploitative informal work, and inconsistent aid to survive. Despite resilience displayed through faith, help-seeking, and resolute endurance, social isolation, and barriers navigating complex bureaucracies exacerbate risks. Ultimately the study exposes policy and programming failures fulfilling protection obligations, necessitating urgent actions to empower displaced females. Recommendations include improving access to services, fostering social inclusion, enabling livelihoods, strengthening legal protections, and embracing participatory approaches led by refugee women themselves. Fulfilling commitments to this vulnerable group requires comprehensive reforms addressing root causes of marginalization across sectors.

Analysing the heterogeneity in working conditions of migrant informal workers in China: a test of the WIEGO model of informal employment

This paper sheds light on the internal heterogeneity within the informal economy by examining the working conditions of migrant informal workers in China. It presents the first attempt to test the WIEGO model on the relationship between informality, income, poverty and gender. Based on 107,020 samples of informal workers from the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS), economic, social and occupational health components of working conditions of migrant informal workers in five employment-status tiers are analysed. The results show the significant heterogeneity within informal workers in terms of their income, working intensity, labour contracts, social security, union and community support. The relationships between the informal employment tiers and income, poverty and gender show a pattern that is not fully in line with the WIEGO model, suggesting the complexity and plurality of heterogeneities in informal employment. The paper concludes by calling for research on regional varieties of the heterogeneity in informal employment worldwide to better understand the unfolding of the inequality-informality nexus in specific contexts.

Training Returns Among Informal Workers: Evidence from Urban Sites in Kenya and Tanzania

AbstractTraining contributes to economic growth through raising productivity, enabling the use of new technologies and allowing workers to raise earnings through widening their skills base. This paper uses mixed methods to examine individual returns to off-the-job training, on-the-job training and informal training focussing on informal workers in the sectors of construction, micro-trade and transport in urban areas of Kenya and Tanzania. Based on a cross-section, the analysis shows that earnings are 21 pct. higher for workers with off-the-job training compared to being self-taught, whilst the premium for on-the-job or informal training by a family member is 16 pct. The qualitative data provide further insights into the reasons for variations in gains across the different types of training and illuminates the role of informal worker associations in facilitating training access. Formal training should be made affordable and tailored to worker needs so that it becomes a worthwhile investment for informal workers.

Exploring the Nexus Between Informal Workers and the Social Security Scheme in Ghana

Exploring the Nexus Between Informal Workers and the Social Security Scheme in Ghana

Effect of COVID-19 on livelihoods of people with and without disabilities: Results from a cross-sectional survey in 3 urban areas of Viet Nam

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has had widespread health, social and economic impacts worldwide. In many contexts, it has likely exacerbated existing inequalities. ObjectiveThis study compares the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic amongst people with and without disabilities in Viet Nam. MethodsA telephone survey was conducted in the three largest cities of Viet Nam (Da Nang, Ha Noi, and Ho Chi Minh City) between December 2021 and January 2022. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling (n = 898; 479 people with disabilities; 419 without). The survey collected data on livelihoods, employment, household economic security, and access to social protection and assistance. ResultsPeople with disabilities were three times more likely to have stopped working completely (PR: 2.8, 95 % CI: 2.0–4.0), 30 % more likely to report reduced earnings (PR: 1.3, 95 % CI: 1.2–1.5), twice as likely to report severe impacts on household finances (PR: 1.9, 95 % CI: 1.6–2.3) and three times more likely to report severe impacts on household food security (PR: 3.2, 95 % CI: 2.3–4.6) since the onset of the pandemic. Amongst people with disabilities, informal workers were particularly negatively affected. Households with members with disabilities were more likely to receive some types of COVID-19-related assistance (e.g. financial or food aid), but less likely to be enrolled in social insurance. ConclusionsUrgent and inclusive responses are necessary during crises to address the unique challenges faced by people with disabilities. Implementing comprehensive social protection measures is crucial to narrowing disparities, and maintaining well-being and economic security during shocks such as COVID-19.

SS36 Electronic waste (E-waste) and informal work in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)

SS36 Electronic waste (E-waste) and informal work in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)

Establishing substitute families: Care arrangements for childless older people in urban China

While the issues of childlessness and social support in old age have received considerable attention in more developed countries, the phenomenon of aging without children in China has been relatively underexplored. The existing, albeit limited, literature highlights the vulnerability of the childless elderly in China and the inadequacy of social care services, which is predominantly directed toward most impoverished groups. This study examines the care arrangements and social support mechanisms for childless older people in urban China, emphasizing the role of community-level officers in this context. Drawing on in-depth interviews conducted in 2019 with 27 childless elderly individuals and 10 community-level officers in Shanghai, the study reveals the formation of community-based substitute families. These substitute families, comprising neighbors, extended family members, and friends, provide daily assistance, emotional support, and sometimes intensive care. The establishment of these substitute families hinges on the childless individuals’ ability to navigate public and social resources, as well as the institutionalized mobilization and informal work strategies of community-level officers. We argue that the care arrangements for childless older people are significantly shaped by the state's aging-in-place elder care policy. However, the effectiveness of this policy is mediated by the informal work strategies of community-level officers and the proactive care planning by the childless elderly themselves. Our findings offer important insights for improving the current family-based elder care policies and enrich our understanding of aging without children in urban China.

Marketing Strategy Analysis in Increasing Participation Numbers in the Social Security Administration for Employment (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) Tanjung Perak Branch Office Using SWOT Analysis Method

This study delves into the societal responsibility of nations for ensuring the well-being of their citizens through the implementation of social welfare systems, notably the social security program managed by the Social Security Organizing Agency (BPJS). The historical evolution of PT Jamsostek (Persero) underscores the development of social security programs in Indonesia, emphasizing the significance of safeguarding workers' economic and social interests. This research focuses on BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Tanjung Perak Branch, aiming to analyze its marketing strategies to augment membership through the SWOT analysis method. Employing a qualitative approach, the study employs interviews, observations, and documentation for data collection. The findings reveal strengths in BPJS Ketenagakerjaan's extensive social security offerings, weaknesses in communicating with and raising awareness among informal workers, opportunities for enhancing worker welfare, and threats posed by declining membership due to competitive forces. Drawing on the SWOT analysis, the study suggests a conglomerate diversification strategy, wherein BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Tanjung Perak can introduce new programs to previously untapped segments, thus bolstering its membership base. The research enriches the understanding of BPJS Ketenagakerjaan's marketing strategies and contributes insights for broadening its membership outreach.

Effect of ethnic diversity on child labor: Empirical evidence from Ghana

AbstractOne of the persistent global problems today is child labor with the current estimates indicating that 160 million children were in child labor as at the beginning of 2020. To reduce child labor, it is important to unearth the factors that influence it for policy implementation. We contribute to the literature and policy by examining the impact of ethnic diversity on child labor, while considering the mediating effects of informal work and household poverty. Using ethnic fractionalization and polarization indexes, we find that a unit increase in ethnic diversity is associated with an increase in child labor. Gender‐wise, we find the effect to be bigger for male child workers. Based on location, we find that the effect is pronounced for working children living in rural areas. Also, our mediation analysis shows that informal work, and household poverty are the pathways through which ethnic diversity increases child labor.

A Systematic Review of Methods for Estimating Productivity Losses due to Illness or Caregiving in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Productivity losses are often included in costing studies and economic evaluations to provide a comprehensive understanding of the economic burden of disease. Global guidance on estimating productivity losses is sparse, especially for low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) where informal and unpaid work remains dominant. This study aims to describe current practices for valuing productivity losses in LMICs. We performed a systematic review of studies published before April 2022 using three databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library and Web of Science Core Collection. We included any costing or economic evaluation study conducted in a LMIC that provided methodological details on how the monetary value for productivity losses was estimated. Two reviewers independently screened articles for inclusion, extracted data and assessed the quality of the studies. A total of 281 articles were included. While most studies did not specify the overall approach used to measure and value productivity losses (58%), the human capital approach was the most frequently used approach to measure productivity losses when this was clearly stated (39%). The most common methods to estimate a monetary value for productivity losses were market wages (51%), self-reported wages (28%) and macroeconomic measures (15%). Reporting standards for productivity losses in LMIC settings have room for improvement. While market wages were the most frequently used method to estimate the monetary value of productivity losses, this relies on context-specific data availability. Until a consensus is reached on if, when and how to include productivity losses in costing and economic evaluation studies, future studies could include a sensitivity analysis to explore the impact of different methods for estimating the monetary value of productivity losses.

Policing the spread of COVID-19 and the struggle for sustainable livelihood among informal workers in Nigeria

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the subject of numerous scholarly discussions. However, scholars have yet to pay more attention to the link between its official containment measures and the struggle of informal workers for sustainable livelihoods in Nigeria. This study argues that the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown policing was one aspect of the state-society encounter that had a deleterious effect on the economic security of vulnerable populations. The research employs the thesis of neoliberalism and a qualitative-dominant mixed methods approach to explore this state-society encounter during the pandemic. It concludes that a subtle and humane approach to policing in emergencies presents a more civil engagement in policy enforcement that would foster happier encounters between security forces and the general public.

International Migration, Xenophobia and Migrant Employment in Rural Areas: Konya Example

This study examines the problems arising from that the agricultural sector has become a significant employment area for migrant labor due to migrant migration. The presence of migrant labor in the agricultural sector has increased because of the cost advantages provided by agricultural operators of cheap labor supply despite informal working conditions. Migrant labor has crucial contributions to the sustainability of production activities, especially in the agricultural sector, where the local labor does not want to be employed. However, the perspective of local people toward migrants differs over time, especially due to different social and cultural characteristics. Since these differences are more noticeable in small settlements, such as rural areas people who are migrant to society or national identity become unwanted in the living spaces of local people over course of time, this study aimed to determine the perspective toward migrant labor and to evaluate the impact of this situation on the sustainability of production. In line with the results obtained, policy recommendations were made for the integration of migrant labor and the planning of agricultural activities.

Perlindungan Program Jaminan Sosial Ketenagakerjaan bagi Pekerja Bukan Penerima Upah

Non-wage workers are also included in the informal sector workers and are entitled to social security protection which is carried out in stages in accordance with one of the principles of social security, namely that participation is mandatory. As is known, the development of informal sector workers, especially after the Covid 19 pandemic, has grown very rapidly over time, in the fields of culinary, crafts, household equipment, animals, etc. So the purpose of this article is to discuss employment social security protection for non-wage earners as regulated in Law no. 24 of 2011 concerning Social Security Administering Bodies. Using doctrinal research methods, this article finds that there is a lack of optimization in the absorption of participants in the labor social security protection program by the Employment Social Security Administering Agency due to constraints on the age limit for workers, a lack of understanding by workers in the informal sector of the importance of employment social security and the benefits that can be obtained. accepted. So in this article the ideal social security protection is formulated, namely carrying out comprehensive and gradual socialization by the Employment Social Security Administering Body, the government's role in adjusting the age limits for informal sector workers so that they can provide maximum social security protection, as well as the public's willingness to receive benefits. provided by the Employment Social Security Administering Agency, so that there is synergy and achievement of community welfare.

Voluntary Contributions to Pension Schemes: A Study Among Actors in the Informal Economy in Tanzania

The research delves into the participation of informal economic actors in voluntary contributions to pension schemes. It sheds light on the difficulties faced by the Social Security Fund in reaching out to informal actors regarding membership and voluntary contributions. The study investigates the operations and strategies employed by informal social organizations, such as the bodaboda association, food vending network, and fishing group, to encourage members to contribute voluntarily. Through qualitative methods, interviews with pension scheme participants were conducted to comprehend the initiatives aimed at including excluded individuals, particularly those engaged in the informal economy. Following the NSSF Act 2018 revision, there is no alternative arrangement to provide coverage for informal workers besides the formal social security. This study contends that excluding a significant portion of the population from pension schemes limits social services in Tanzania. Informal economy actors willingly contribute to informal social organizations. The contribution assists in addressing the challenges associated with irregular incomes. It was observed that the administrative and regulatory structure designed for the formal sector is not conducive to informal actors, mainly due to bureaucratic processes related to contributions and provisional pensions.

Mapping the Livelihood Vulnerabilities of Women Informal Workers in Coimbatore District During Covid-19

The present study was undertaken to examine the women informal worker’s socio economic profiles, nature of work and challenges faced by them during COVID – 19 in Coimbatore district. Empirical research design has been adopted. Primary data has been collected from women informal workers residing in Coimbatore District. Five specific informal sector groups namely, construction workers, street vendors, waste-pickers, domestic workers and homeless persons have been considered for the study. Considering that a very limited database of informal sector workers exists, sample of 149 informal workers in 11 taluks of Coimbatore District has been chosen using snow-ball sampling technique. Interview schedule will be adopted to collect data from the women workers. Data collected has been analyzed using Percentage analysis and weighted average ranking method. The findings of the study reveals that the COVID-19 lockdown have increased debt of the women in informal sector. The study also found that the expectations of this workforce from the government, including minimum wages, job security, and improved workplace safety. Overall, these findings call for targeted interventions and policy measures to address the specific needs and challenges faced by women informal workers, ultimately contributing to their resilience and well-being.

Deconstructing ageism among older informal workers: a systematic review

PurposeThis study aims to conduct a systematic review of existing literature on ageism among older informal workers, as most studies have focused on formal work settings. Specifically, it seeks to identify the scope and characteristics of ageism that older informal workers encounter and its influence on their work and well-being.Design/methodology/approachThis paper follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) framework to conduct a systematic review. Eleven studies from six databases were included and thematically analysed.FindingsThe findings revealed four main themes: the contextual nature of ageism, dimensions of work-related ageism, navigating work-related challenges, and effects on well-being. These themes highlight that, despite being perceived as experienced and reliable, older informal workers face exclusion from work opportunities as they are perceived as unproductive and less capable of acquiring new skills. These negative perceptions significantly impacted their willingness to continue working and overall well-being.Practical implicationsThe findings offer an overview of extant research and the direction for future research and policy interventions to address ageism among older informal workers. The findings are crucial for enhancing older workers' quality of life, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where population ageing is the fastest.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few to systematically explore and evaluate empirical evidence on ageism in the informal work sector. It thus expands existing knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon of ageism in a least explored context.

Enhancing Skill, Socio-Economic Status & Family Welfare: Employment-Specific on Job Training in Pakistan's Informal Sector

Pakistan, with a population exceeding 200 million and the 10th largest labor force globally, grapples with a significant informal sector, employing a majority of its workforce, particularly the youth. This research paper explores the dynamics of the informal sector, its contributions to the economy, and the challenges faced by informal workers. The focus is on the crucial role of employment-specific training in enhancing the skills and livelihoods of the labor force engaged in micro-businesses within the informal economy. The data was collected from 1200workers and 60 entrepreneurs from 6 major cities of Pakistan. The application of the chi-square technique revealed significant positive correlations between on job training and various variables. Notably, a positive correlation was observed between on job training and skill proficiency, emphasizing the role of training in enhancing workers' skills. Positive correlations were also found with factors such as total duration and resources, wages, socio-economic status, engagement level, family welfare, and positive attitude This paper delves into the complexities and contributions of the informal sector, emphasizing the need for tailored policies and strategies.

Informal caregiving time and its monetary value in the context of older adults in Singapore

BackgroundLittle is known about the caregiving time of different types of caregivers in Singapore or its monetary value. We quantified the caregiving time of primary informal, secondary informal, and migrant domestic worker (MDW) caregivers of older adults and estimated the monetary value of caregiving time of primary and secondary informal caregivers. Methods278 primary informal caregivers reported the time provided by themselves, secondary informal caregivers and MDW caregivers in a typical week helping their care-recipients, aged ≥75 years, with activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental ADLs, healthcare and social care use, other needs, and supervision of MDW caregivers. We estimated monetary value using the proxy good method. ResultsOn average, primary and secondary informal caregivers provided 33.0 (annual monetary value: S$15,959) and 8.4 (annual monetary value: S$4,062) caregiving hours/week. MDW caregivers provided even more – 42.0 h/week. Care-recipients received 60.5 h of care/week on average. Nationally, the monetary value of informal caregiving time for Singaporeans aged ≥75 years requiring human assistance was about S$1.28 billion. ConclusionThis study highlights the substantial time commitment of informal and MDW caregivers. Our estimates of the monetary value of informal caregiving time can inform economic evaluations of care models for older adults and policies for supporting informal caregivers, particularly in societies that rely heavily on informal care.

208c - Noise and hearing conservation for informal sector workers in Mombasa, Kenya

208c - Noise and hearing conservation for informal sector workers in Mombasa, Kenya