Low-wage Employment Research Articles

Advancing emigrants' rights in India: strategies of civil society in spaces for engagement

ABSTRACT This article explores Indian civil society's efforts to promote the rights of migrant Indian labourers working abroad in low-wage employment as a response to weakly institutionalized rights frameworks in the global and India's national governance of labour migration. Existing scholarship has explored civil societies' advocacy in multi-national fora, at regional levels, and as forms of transnationally organized networks, but only marginally at the analytical level of migrant-origin states. The article examines their multi-level and multi-stakeholder strategies through the analytical lens of spaces for engagement. Drawing on original qualitative data, this article shows that civil society organizations play a leading role in (e)migration governance in India and are key to understanding the politics of migration of the world’s largest migrant-origin state. In particular, the local and subnational levels are important entry points to advance their agendas in the context of migrant-origin states.

Wage employment, unemployment and self-employment across countries

Poor countries have low wage employment and high self-employment. This paper shows that they also have high unemployment relative to wage employment, and that self-employment increases with this ratio. To understand the sources of these patterns, I build a search and matching model with choice between job search and self-employment and with learning about matches, and calibrate it to match all transition rates between wage employment, unemployment and self-employment as well as separation hazards by job duration, separately for all 37 countries with available data. Quantitative analysis of the model shows that labor market frictions affect self-employment as much as unemployment. Labor market frictions also reduce aggregate output, not only by raising unemployment, but also by worsening the average quality of both wage employment matches and active self-employment projects.

There and back again: dynamics of temporary labor migration, insights from rural India.

Temporary labor migration is a household phenomenon among rural communities in India. This study seeks to understand the subjective experiences influencing the temporariness of labor migration among internal migrants in India by examining various factors such as migration conditions, motivation, migration arrangements, coping and adaptation strategies, and determinants of stay. To achieve this objective, the current qualitative study utilized 14 in-depth interviews and 2 focus group discussions to investigate the temporary nature of labor migration among internal migrants in India. Our findings reveal that migration decisions are rational choices made collectively at the household level, considering socio-economic outcomes. We also find that social networks and contractors facilitate migration arrangements and job connections, and migrants employ various strategies to reduce costs and cope with expenses in urban areas. However, migration destinations often fail to meet migrants' expectations, exposing them to low-wage employment and precarious working and living conditions, which are detrimental to their health. Limited housing and sanitation facilities further contribute to the challenges faced by migrants. Work conditions, including poor wages and high job demands, also affect their well-being. These findings highlight the need for improved support systems that address accommodation challenges, work conditions, and the overall welfare of labor migrants.

The Evolution of Technological Substitution in Low-Wage Labor Markets

Abstract This paper uses minimum wage hikes to evaluate the susceptibility of low-wage employment to technological substitution. We find that automation is accelerating and supplanting a broader set of low-wage routine jobs since the 2008–2009 financial crisis. Simultaneously, low-wage interpersonal jobs are increasing and offsetting routine job loss. However, interpersonal job growth does not appear to be enough, as it was prior to the financial crisis, to fully offset the negative effects of automation on low-wage routine jobs. Employment losses are most evident among non-Asian people of color who experience outsized losses at routine jobs and smaller gains at interpersonal jobs.

Economic self-sufficiency (ESS) as a barrier to health self-sufficiency (HSS) for Burmese refugees in the United States: a culture-centered analysis

From displacement to resettlement, Burmese refugees bear high disease burdens; first as forced migrants escaping conflict and then as second-class citizens in host countries like the United States. This relegation of refugee bodies to the margins upon resettlement, warrants an examination of the contradictions of the process as a humanitarian enterprise yet in violation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 of Reduced Inequalities, particularly through a health inequities lens. In the present study, the researcher conducted 15 semi-structured in-depth interviews with key stakeholders within the resettlement ecosystem of the city of Indianapolis, Indiana in the U.S., including Burmese community members, leaders, and health practitioners. Narrative data reveal an inverse relationship between the federally mandated metric of economic self-sufficiency (ESS) defined as job placement upon resettlement, and health self-sufficiency (HSS) defined as the ability to meaningfully engage with healthcare structures and resources. Participants articulate the precarious nature of such low-wage employment in predatory industries like meatpacking, requiring little to no language or vocational training and subjecting refugee employees to coercive practices including mandatory overtime. These practices are outlined as both dangerous to the health of employees and detracting from their time resources which would otherwise be allocated toward linguistic and vocational training—both required for socioeconomic mobility, as well as to meaningfully navigate labyrinthian healthcare structures. Faced with these structural constraints, Burmese community members demonstrate health self-sufficiency through a combination of treatment with over-the-counter (OTC) medications, traditional healing practices, and by activating familial and community networks as communal resources for accessing healthcare structures.

What Are Governments Doing About Low-wage Employment – And How Successful is It?

What Are Governments Doing About Low-wage Employment – And How Successful is It?

Lifestyle Transitions in ‘Monga’-Affected Regions: A Micro-Level Study in Northern Bangladesh

This study examines the gradual lifestyle changes in the Monga-affected regions of northern Bangladesh, focusing mainly on the Nilphamari district. Monga, a cyclical phenomenon, exacerbates unemployment, food shortages, and poverty, forcing many agricultural workers to abandon farming. This research explores Monga's impact on vulnerable populations and their coping strategies, including migration to urban areas for low-wage employment. A qualitative methodology was employed, including in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 30 randomly selected respondents from Dimla Upazila in the Nilphamari district. Findings reveal that illiterate labourers and marginal and landless farmers are most affected, often migrating to cities seasonally for survival despite harsh conditions, relying on microcredit loans and the mercy of nature. Lifestyle changes at both the micro and macro levels are found in Monga-affected zones; changes include variations in consumption, livelihood, challenges, and social costs in personal and community relationships and diversification in agriculture. Government and NGO interventions play a critical role in alleviating these challenges by creating alternative employment opportunities. The study's limitations include a small sample size and geographical focus, which may limit the generalizability of its findings. However, the practical implications suggest that targeted interventions can mitigate Monga's impact, offering valuable insights for policymakers. This research provides original insights into the socioeconomic transformations caused by Monga, shedding light on the survival strategies of the affected population.

The Flows of Racial Capitalism: Charting the Spread of COVID-19 through Alberta’s Meatpacking Industry

This article will present a case study of Cargill’s High River meatpacking plant operations to show how at crucial historical junctures racial capitalism shaped its working conditions and in so doing determined the spread of COVID-19. First, the Canadian meatpacking industry’s 1980s-era economic restructuring relocated and reorganized its workforce from a core to peripheral one, allowing for the low wage employment of many precarious workers; this restructuring enabled the Cargill company to gain overwhelming control of the meatpacking industry in Canada and to become a “choke point” in the supply chain. Second, Canadian immigration policy from 2006 to 2010 supported a marked increase in migrant workers to meet the labour market needs of business; this reconstituted the labour class to heighten their disposability. With these pieces in place, the Albertan provincial government could classify meatpackers as “essential workers” who worked even in the face of mass COVID infection in April through June 2020. Across this crucial historical period racial capitalism enabled the plant to circumvent public health interventions protecting workers through the onset of the pandemic. Political championing of business interests, enacted through legislative mechanisms, allowed for the exploitation of workers and consistently rendered workers personally responsible for their own health and safety, despite their lack of control over what exposed them to risk.

Commuting barriers to low-wage employment

Lack of access to affordable transportation has been hypothesized to be a barrier to employment among low-wage workers. We build a structural job search model to investigate how commuting costs influence the employment decisions of low-wage workers in the United States, and whether differences in commuting by race and education can explain observed disparities in employment. We find that commuting itself poses a significant barrier to overall low-wage employment, as the associated costs are high relative to potential wages. However, we find that inter-group differences in commuting costs account for a much smaller fraction of inter-group employment disparities than do differences in other labor market factors such as the wage offer distribution and offer arrival rates.

Prevalence of food insecurity and associated factors among households in Waliso town, Oromia, Ethiopia

BackgroundFood insecurity is the underlying cause of malnutrition. In addition, it is a condition where people lack consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active and healthy life.Recently, urban food insecurity has been on the top agenda in Ethiopia, as households prone to food insecurity are rising because of various factors. Hence, we aimed to assess the prevalence of food insecurity and associated factors among households in Waliso town, Oromia, Ethiopia.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study design was used from December 17, 2021, to January 16, 2022, among 397 randomly selected households in Waliso town. Study participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Data collection was performed using a structured questionnaire, and data were entered using Epi Info 7 and exported to SPSS version 20 software for analysis. To identify factors associated with household food insecurity, multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were done. An adjusted odds ratio along with a 95% confidence interval were estimated to measure the strength of the association. In this study, the level of statistical significance was declared at p < 0.05.ResultsThe prevalence of household food insecurity was 63.4%, 95% CI (58.60%, 68.20%). Factors associated with household food insecurity were family sizes 6 + [AOR = 3.06, 95% CI: (1.35, 6.94)], dependents 1–2 [AOR = 2.62, 95% CI: (1.35, 5.10)], dependents 3 + [AOR = 3.07, 95% CI: (1.38, 7.40)], unemployed [AOR = 6.86, 95% CI: (2.76, 17.04)], self-employed [AOR = 3.27, 95% CI: (1.50, 7.14)], wage laborers [AOR = 13.01, 95% CI: (4.93, 34.38)], low wealth index [AOR = 4.08, 95% CI: (2.18, 7.64)], and a medium wealth index [AOR = 2.08, 95% CI: (1.18, 3.69)].ConclusionNearly two in three households were food insecure in Waliso Town. Large family sizes, a high dependency ratio, unemployment, low wage employment, and a low wealth index were significantly associated with food insecurity. Hence, the implementation of actions to improve household income and livelihoods, minimize dependency rates, by strengthen the use of family planning and encourage urban agriculture is vital to alleviate household food insecurity problems in the town.

Policy differentiation and the politics of belonging in India’s emigrant and emigration policies

ABSTRACT India is the largest emigrant origin country in the world. The majority of Indian emigrants work in low-wage employment in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. This paper contrasts India’s policy responses directed at migrants living in the Gulf countries with policies targeted at those in the Global North. India has extended substantive rights and symbolic inclusion to Indian citizens and (descendants of) former citizens residing in the Global North. However, while it established a social protection framework for low-wage emigrants in the Gulf, these emigrants are often unable to access other substantive citizenship rights and are mostly ignored at the symbolic level. Through critical approaches to the study of diasporas and the lens of boundary work, this article analyzes how emigrant origin states (re-)define belonging through differentiated emigration and emigrant policies. It shows that the Indian state links inclusive/exclusive boundaries of (symbolic) national membership, inherent in emigration and emigrant policies, to classifications regarding emigrants’ social identities, in this case class and religion.

Regional diversification and labour market upgrading: local access to skill-related high-income jobs helps workers escaping low-wage employment

Abstract This article investigates how the evolution of local labour market structure enables or constrains workers as regards escaping low-wage jobs. Drawing on the network-based approach of evolutionary economic geography, we employ a detailed individual-level panel dataset to construct skill-relatedness networks for 72 functional labour market regions in Sweden. Subsequent fixed-effect panel regressions indicate that increasing density of skill-related high-income jobs within a region is conducive to low-wage workers moving to better-paid jobs, hence facilitating labour market upgrading through diversification. While metropolitan regions offer a premium for this relationship, it also holds for smaller regions, and across various worker characteristics.

Regulating low wages: cross-national policy variation and outcomes

Abstract This article provides a comparative analysis of three central policies to regulate low wages: statutory minimum wages, state support for collective bargaining and topping up low wages with public transfers (in-work benefits). We map the variation of these policies across 33 OECD countries and analyze the incidence of low-wage employment they are associated with. We find three approaches to regulating low wages. In the first, ‘wage scale protection’, states put most emphasis on supporting collective bargaining. In the second, ‘bare minimum’, there is not much else than the statutory minimum wage. In the third, ‘state pay’, the statutory minimum wage is supplemented by sizeable public financial support for low earners. When analyzing policy outcomes, ‘wage scale protection’ is associated with least low-wage employment. For ‘bare minimum’, much depends on the level of the statutory minimum wage. Although ‘state pay’ props up workers’ disposable income, many workers receive low gross pay.

Geographies of Frontline Workers: Gender, Race, and Commuting in New York City

The COVID-19 pandemic amplified social, economic, and environmental inequalities in American cities, including inequities in commuting and access to employment. Frontline workers—those who had to work on site during the pandemic—experienced these inequalities in every aspect of their daily lives. We examine the labor force characteristics and commuting of frontline workers in New York City with a focus on gender and race/ethnic disparities in wages and commuting modes and times. Using Census PUMS microdata for a sample of New York City residents in the 2015–2019 period, we identify frontline workers from detailed industry and occupation codes and compare characteristics of frontline workers with those of essential workers who could work remotely. The data highlight wide disparities between frontline and remote workers. Minority men and women are concentrated in the frontline workforce. The residential geographies of frontline and remote workers differ greatly, with the former concentrated in low- and moderate- income areas distant from work sites and with long commute times. Compared to men, women frontline workers rely heavily on public transit to commute and transit dependence is highest among Black and Latina women. Low-wage employment, long commute times, and transit dependence intersected to increase minority women’s economic and social vulnerability during the pandemic.

Escaping from low-wage employment: The role of co-worker networks

Low-wage jobs are often regarded as dead-ends in the labour market careers of young people. Previous research focused on disentangling to what degree the association between a low-wage job at the start of working life and limited chances of transitioning to better-paid employment is causal or spurious. Less attention has been paid to the channels that may facilitate the upward wage mobility of low-wage workers. We focus on such mechanisms, and we scrutinize the impact of social ties to higher-educated co-workers. Due to knowledge spillovers, job referrals, as well as firm-level productivity gains, having higher-educated co-workers may improve an individual’s chances of transitioning to a better-paid job. We use linked employer-employee data from longitudinal Swedish registers and panel data models that incorporate measures of low-wage workers’ social ties to higher-educated co-workers. Our results confirm that having social ties to higher-educated co-workers increases individual chances of transitioning to better-paid employment.

Moderate Southern Senators, Hunger, and Welfare in the Long 1960s

This article traces the approach of moderate southern Senators toward domestic hunger and welfare in the late 1960s and the 1970s. Often overlooked in scholarly accounts, these Senators formed a significant minority of the southern delegation. Their behavior demonstrates both the continued possibilities of a more inclusive southern politics after the mid-1960s and the importance of moderate southerners to the Food Stamp Program's major expansion in the years after 1964. At the same time, however, these politicians opposed guaranteed-income schemes and endorsed “workfare” measures promoted by more conservative southerners that conditioned aid on participation in low-wage employment.

Household deprivation, comorbidities and COVID-19 hospitalization in 690,115 children/adolescents

Abstract Background Studies document that adults in disadvantaged socio-economic positions have elevated risks of a severe course of COVID-19, but it is unclear if this holds true for children. We investigate in this population-based study whether young people from socio-economically disadvantaged households in Germany had a higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization compared with more affluent counterparts. We also examined if differences were related to comorbidities that predict severe courses in children. Methods We included data from all 690,115 children and adolescents (0-18 years) enrolled in a statutory health insurance carrier. Daily hospital diagnoses of COVID-19 were recorded from 1.1.2020 to 13.7.2021. Logistic regressions were used to compare children from households with an indication of poverty (e.g. long- or short-term unemployed) with children from households with insurance holders in regular employment. We also assessed socio-economic characteristics of the area of residence. We controlled for age, sex, days under observation, nationality, and comorbidities (e.g. obesity). Findings A COVID-19 hospital diagnosis was a rare event (n = 1637). Children of long-term unemployed parents had a 1·36 times (95% CI 1·21-1·51) higher adjusted odds of hospitalization compared with those of employed parents. Elevated odds were also found for short-term unemployed or low-wage employment. Those living in poor areas had a 3·02 (1·81-5·22) higher odds of hospitalization than those in less deprived areas. Comorbidities were strongly related to hospitalization, but their adjustment did not change main estimates for household deprivation. Discussion Results suggest that children from poor households are at higher risk of severe courses of COVID-19 than their affluent counterparts. This underlies the need to implement effective Public Health strategies to protect deprived children from COVID-19 and other infectious disease even in high income countries such as Germany. Key messages • Children and adolescents from poor families seem to be at higer risk for sever courses of COVID-19. • Comorbidities were no key mediating factor in this study.

Association of Household Deprivation, Comorbidities, and COVID-19 Hospitalization in Children in Germany, January 2020 to July 2021

Adults in disadvantaged socioeconomic positions have elevated risks of a severe course of COVID-19, but it is unclear whether this holds true for children. To investigate whether young people from disadvantaged households have a higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and whether differences were associated with comorbidities that predispose children to severe courses. This population-based cohort study included all children and adolescents (aged 0-18 years) who were enrolled in a statutory health insurance carrier in Germany during the observation period of January 1, 2020, to July 13, 2021. Logistic regressions were calculated to compare children from households with and without an indication of poverty. Age, sex, days under observation, nationality, and comorbidities (eg, obesity, diabetes) were controlled for to account for explanatory factors. Disadvantage on the household level was assessed by the employment status of the insurance holder (ie, employed, long- or short-term unemployed, low-wage employment, economically inactive). Socioeconomic characteristics of the area of residence were also assessed. Daily hospital diagnoses of COVID-19 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision codes U07.1 and U07.2) were recorded. Comorbidities were assessed using inpatient and outpatient diagnoses contained in the insurance records. A total of 688 075 children and adolescents were included, with a mean (SD) age of 8.3 (5.8) years and 333 489 (48.4%) female participants. COVID-19 hospital diagnosis was a rare event (1637 participants [0.2%]). Children whose parents were long-term unemployed were 1.36 (95% CI, 1.22-1.51) times more likely than those with employed parents to be hospitalized. Elevated odds were also found for children whose parents had low-wage employment (odds ratio, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.05-1.58). Those living in low-income areas had 3.02 (95% CI, 1.73-5.28) times higher odds of hospitalization than those in less deprived areas. Comorbidities were associated with hospitalization, but their adjustment did not change main estimates for deprivation. In this cohort study, children who had parents who were unemployed and those who lived in low-income areas were at higher risk of COVID-19 hospitalization. This finding suggests that attention must be paid to children with SARS-CoV-2 from vulnerable families and closer monitoring should be considered. A number of explanatory factors, including comorbidities, were taken into account, but their analysis yielded no clear picture about underlying processes.

Analyzing the spatial determinants of dockless e-scooter & e-bike trips across four U.S. cities

In this study, we examine micromobility usage across four U.S. metropolitan areas, comprising over 3 million people. As micromobility increases in popularity and becomes incorporated in policies and city planning, it is important to understand how disadvantaged and underserved communities utilize shared micromobility options. Underserved communities typically have the lowest access to transportation options and thus, opportunities to jobs, health care, and food. While micromobility has the potential to increase opportunities in low-income areas, it is unclear how people in low-income and high minority areas use these options. Using publicly available API data, we analyze how e-scooters and e-bikes are employed in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Detroit, and Louisville. We find that the built environment had a strong impact on both the number of trips within a census block group (CBG) and the duration of those trips. Specifically, pedestrian-friendly intersections (e.g. low-speed roads, bicycle and pedestrian trails) generated more trips than automobile oriented facilities. Presence of fixed transportation and percentage of households with one or less cars had a strong and positive impact on the number of trips. The proportion of minorities and percentage of low-wage employment in a CBG are both negatively associated with trips in all four cities. The results suggest that existing efforts to promote shared micromobility usage in minority and low-income communities may not be sufficient. Designing pedestrian and bicycle-oriented streets, increasing public outreach and promoting access, and enforcing equity zones could increase shared micromobility usage in low-income and minority areas.

Living, not just surviving: The politics of refusing low-wage jobs in urban South Africa

This paper explores why young Black South African men refuse low-wage jobs in a time of mass joblessness. Drawing on in-depth qualitative data from an informal settlement on the outskirts of Johannesburg, the paper examines the work histories and social aspirations that underpin young men’s decision to voluntarily quit low-wage employment. This inquiry is animated by a long history of urban young men rejecting the wage relation in favour of alternative livelihoods. It shows that the refusal of low-wage jobs is sustained by other forms of inequality and is closely entangled with race, gender and citizenship. The paper argues that the refusal of low-wage jobs is at once a critique of precariousness and racialized inequality, and a political demand for social and economic inclusion. In taking this demand seriously, the paper maintains that voluntary quitting is a relatively unrecognized form of worker resistance, with implications for how we understand labour market volatility, and the place of wage labour in South Africa’s policy debates and politics.