Abstract:* We are grateful to Lekani Lebani who provided research assistance. A lot of our ideas about the informal economy have been developed through collaborative work with Caroline Skinner. 1 Leibbrandt et al "Trends in South African income distribution and poverty" (2010).
“…President Mbeki (2004) maintained that this second economy was structurally separated from the first, global economy and operated concomitantly. The first economy is still better established and more substantively documented, while the second economy, in which the most current labour brokering practices operate, lacks coherence and has inadequate systematic data (Valodia & Devey 2010).…”
Section: Labour Brokering In South Africamentioning
confidence: 99%
“…In South Africa, employees taken on through labour brokers are classified as informal employees. National statistics on the informal economy may be distorted because this classification includes unregistered agencies and individuals (Valodia & Devey 2010). The available statistics indicate that the informal economic sector has more than doubled in the past decade compared to the formal economic sector.…”
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the influence of labour brokering on employment practices, particularly those related to the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998. The research reported on in this paper is based on a larger research project that investigated the barriers to and enablers of gender equity within two higher education institutions. Utilising a qualitative case study at the two South African universities, the findings demonstrate the contradictions between the intentions of employment equity policies and practices and the adoption of a labour brokering employment strategy. Employment equity policies and practices did not include employees in the cleaning and gardening job categories recruited through labour brokers. Most importantly, the practice has serious implications for the economic survival and development of the lowest level of employees at the universities. The implications of these findings are discussed in the light of the Labour Relations Amendment Act 6 of 2014.
“…President Mbeki (2004) maintained that this second economy was structurally separated from the first, global economy and operated concomitantly. The first economy is still better established and more substantively documented, while the second economy, in which the most current labour brokering practices operate, lacks coherence and has inadequate systematic data (Valodia & Devey 2010).…”
Section: Labour Brokering In South Africamentioning
confidence: 99%
“…In South Africa, employees taken on through labour brokers are classified as informal employees. National statistics on the informal economy may be distorted because this classification includes unregistered agencies and individuals (Valodia & Devey 2010). The available statistics indicate that the informal economic sector has more than doubled in the past decade compared to the formal economic sector.…”
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the influence of labour brokering on employment practices, particularly those related to the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998. The research reported on in this paper is based on a larger research project that investigated the barriers to and enablers of gender equity within two higher education institutions. Utilising a qualitative case study at the two South African universities, the findings demonstrate the contradictions between the intentions of employment equity policies and practices and the adoption of a labour brokering employment strategy. Employment equity policies and practices did not include employees in the cleaning and gardening job categories recruited through labour brokers. Most importantly, the practice has serious implications for the economic survival and development of the lowest level of employees at the universities. The implications of these findings are discussed in the light of the Labour Relations Amendment Act 6 of 2014.
“…Thus in November 2003, in an address to the National Council of Provinces, then President Mbeki, talking of South Africa's ‘first’ (or formal) and ‘second’ economy, said of the latter: The second economy (or the marginalised economy) is characterised by underdevelopment, contributes little to GDP, contains a big percentage of our population, incorporates the poorest of our rural and urban poor, is structurally disconnected from both the first and the global economy and is incapable of self generated growth and development. ( Valodia and Devey, : 1)…”
Section: Street Vending and The Statementioning
confidence: 99%
“…The second economy (or the marginalised economy) is characterised by underdevelopment, contributes little to GDP, contains a big percentage of our population, incorporates the poorest of our rural and urban poor, is structurally disconnected from both the first and the global economy and is incapable of self generated growth and development. ( Valodia and Devey, : 1)…”
Globalisation, liberalisation and urbanisation have contributed to a rapid growth of urban informal economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Commerce has become a dominant feature of national economies, and street vending has become a prime source of employment for poor urban dwellers, yet most work illegally, and evictions and harassment are common. The paper examines the process and impacts of three pro-poor reform agendas in Tanzania, each representing a different ideology of reform, and draws on survey results from 2007 and 2011 to assess their potential to legitimate the activities of street vendors and to ameliorate their relations with the state.
“…The major challenge of adoption of SHI has been integration of the poor and the expanding informal sector that comprises the majority of the workforce into SHI schemes. The bulk of working age adults in developing countries is comprised of the unemployed, subsistence farmers, and those working in the informal sector [1,33].…”
Social Health Insurance (SHI) has been preferred form of financing health care to reduce out of pocket expenditure on health care. Most countries are extending SHI programmes to people outside the formal sector in an effort to increase access to healthcare. However, this approach faces challenges of enrolment of sufficient numbers of people into a common risk pool and collection of contributions. The objective of this study was to evaluate strategies to enhance participation of people in the informal sector in Kakamega County in the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) Scheme for access to health care. This was a descriptive qualitative study with sample units purposively selected. Ten Focus Group Discussions were conducted and several Key informants interviewed. Data obtained was scrutinized for emerging themes. The study established that people in the informal sector in Kakamega County were aware of the value of the NHIF cover for accessing health care but lack accurate information on the insurance function of the NHIF cover. Rigid scheme design features also discourage subscription. Major recommendations included policy review of rigid scheme conditions, making the scheme attractive and increasing registration centers. Policy decisions should focus on educating people working outside formal employments on insurance functions of the NHIF cover.
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