South African and Migrant Day Laborers' Individual Subjective Well-Being Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Johannesburg, South Africa
Anmar Pretorius et al.
What the paper says
ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated South Africa's pre-existing socio-economic challenges of poverty, inequality, and unemployment. Among the most affected are day laborers, who face precarious income opportunities in the informal economy. Migrant day laborers, often supporting dependents in their home countries, experience additional vulnerabilities, such as limited access to support structures and social grants (Blaauw et al., 2021; Rogan & Skinner, 2024). The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques. A purposive sampling strategy was used to select 230 day laborers in Johannesburg, encompassing 122 South Africans and 119 migrants. Data collection, conducted in 2021, included structured surveys capturing socio-demographics, income, and subjective well-being (SWB), complemented by open-ended questions on pandemic impacts. The analysis involved descriptive statistics and ordered probit regression to explore SWB determinants, with heteroscedasticity adjustments using the Huber-White method. Key variables included income, dependents, education, and participation in support groups. South African and migrant day laborers share similar sociodemographic profiles, but migrants reported higher incomes, greater dependence burdens, and lower SWB. Regression results revealed distinct SWB determinants. Among South Africans, income stability and partnership positively influenced well-being, while support group participation surprisingly correlated negatively. For migrants, factors such as income during peak months, support group involvement, and secondary education positively impacted SWB. A non-linear relationship emerged between years in the informal sector and SWB for migrants, highlighting initial improvements followed by declines due to unmet expectations. The pandemic's economic impact worsened job scarcity, disproportionately affecting migrants due to limited access to social relief. The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to support day laborers, including expanding access to social grants for migrants and fostering community-based support structures. Policies promoting labor rights, social protection, and training opportunities could mitigate the informal economy's vulnerabilities. Recognizing the lived experiences of day laborers is essential for inclusive policy-making to reduce inequalities and enhance resilience to future crises (ILO, 2020b; Ohnsorge & Yu, 2022).
Evidence weight
Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40
| F · citation impact | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
| M · momentum | 0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07 |
| V · venue signal | 0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03 |
| R · text relevance † | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.