Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / Although the practice of day labouring can be traced back for centuries, it has become a steadily growing global phenomenon and has significant implications for the populations and economies of both developed and developing countries. In South Africa, the day labour market serves as a catchment area for the fallout from a formal economy which is unable to provide employment to all South Africans. The day labourers are often excluded from the benefits of modern societies, such as access to social services, opportunities for employment, and adequate incomes. This study took the form of a qualitative case study and made use of an ethnographic research design. The qualitative data was collected through the conducting of semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and by making use of photovoice, while the quantitative data was generated through the administration of a questionnaire. The triangulation of several sets of data ensured the trustworthiness of the findings. The research population for the study comprised the day labourers who gathered at a particular hiring site in Cape Town. The qualitative data was analysed by means of thematic analysis, while the quantitative data was analysed by means of the SPSS software package to generate descriptive statistics, which were represented graphically in the findings in the form of pie charts and bar graphs. Although there were inherent limitations in the data which was obtained, it nevertheless provided valuable insights into the plight of day labourers in South Africa.

South Africa faces significant challenges with low economic growth and high unemployment rates. Unemployed individuals find it difficult to enter into the informal and formal sectors and are often required to work as day labourers. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the human capital theory can provide an explanation for the determinants of wages of day labourers. A focus was placed on the relationships between wages and education, wages and training, wages and skills, and wages and experience. Using cross-sectional data from a survey conducted in 2007/2008, a regression analysis of these relationships was performed. The results showed that earnings increase with an increase in educational level. Day labourers who completed primary and secondary schooling earn more than day labourers who have had no schooling. The day labourers who completed a post-school qualification realised the highest returns in wages. A small percentage of day labourers indicated that they completed a form of training. A pattern was evident of day labourers with higher levels of education engaging in training that is associated with scarce work that requires higher levels of skills and that is more likely to pay higher wages. Work in the skilled cluster was found to be positively and significantly associated with wages. Day labourers who are able to do a variety of jobs are also likely to earn higher earnings. Experience was represented by the number of years an individual has worked as a day labourer and was found to be negatively associated with wages. The findings of this paper confirm that most of the human capital theory can be applied to explain the wages of day labourers in South Africa. / MCom (Economics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

South Africa faces significant challenges with low economic growth and high unemployment rates. Unemployed individuals find it difficult to enter into the informal and formal sectors and are often required to work as day labourers. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the human capital theory can provide an explanation for the determinants of wages of day labourers. A focus was placed on the relationships between wages and education, wages and training, wages and skills, and wages and experience. Using cross-sectional data from a survey conducted in 2007/2008, a regression analysis of these relationships was performed. The results showed that earnings increase with an increase in educational level. Day labourers who completed primary and secondary schooling earn more than day labourers who have had no schooling. The day labourers who completed a post-school qualification realised the highest returns in wages. A small percentage of day labourers indicated that they completed a form of training. A pattern was evident of day labourers with higher levels of education engaging in training that is associated with scarce work that requires higher levels of skills and that is more likely to pay higher wages. Work in the skilled cluster was found to be positively and significantly associated with wages. Day labourers who are able to do a variety of jobs are also likely to earn higher earnings. Experience was represented by the number of years an individual has worked as a day labourer and was found to be negatively associated with wages. The findings of this paper confirm that most of the human capital theory can be applied to explain the wages of day labourers in South Africa. / MCom (Economics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / The study upon which this dissertation was based was conducted against the backdrop of day labouring as a global phenomenon. In order to position the research topic, namely, the lived experiences and hardships encountered by day labourers in East London in the province of the Eastern Cape of South Africa, a comprehensive review of the relevant available literature pertaining to the phenomenon was conducted. The review covered both international trends and the relatively few significant studies which have been conducted in South Africa. A mixed methods approach was adopted in order to gather both quantitative and qualitative data, by means of a research design whose theoretical framework was derived from systems theory and the strengths-based theory. Of the twelve hiring sites which had been identified in East London during the conducting of a national study, six were selected and a survey questionnaire was administered to three participants at each, which yielded a research sample of eighteen participants. The participants were selected at each site through the use of convenience or availability sampling. The data which the survey questionnaire generated was presented in the form of descriptive statistics and analysed by means of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software to develop a socioeconomic and demographic profile of the participants. The findings of the quantitative study were subsequently evaluated against the qualitative data pertaining to the lived experiences of day labourers in East London, which was generated by conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with three participants who were willing to be interviewed at each site. The qualitative data was analysed through thematic analysis. The integration of the two sets of data enabled a credible and meaningful assessment of the lived experiences of day labourers in East London and the hardships which they are obliged to endure to be made. On the basis of the findings, recommendations are made concerning appropriate strategies for integrating day labourers into initiatives which are designed to grant social justice to groups who continue to be unfairly marginalised and to live in abject poverty more than two decades after the official demise of apartheid.

Social Work / D.Phil.(Social work)

Social Work / D. Phil.(Social work)