Navigating Precarious Employment: Social Networks Among Migrant Youth in Ghana

Abstract

This article is concerned with the precarious employment situations of migrant youth and the supportive role of social networks. It draws on interviews conducted with 30 young migrants in Accra, Ghana. The empirical findings reveal that the precarious nature of young people's employment manifests in the uncertain nature of work, exploitation by clients and employers, as well as low and irregular income. These lead to socioeconomic hardships such as not being able to meet basic needs. The article further demonstrates how social networks strengthen young migrants' agency through the provision of financial resources that allow them to navigate hardships. However, exploitative practices are also inherent within these networks and this article exposes these, alongside the demonstrable benefits. Provision of financial support for rural young people to further their education, enforcement of laws within the informal sector and support for migrants' networks would help improve the situation.

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“…Tapiwa and Timothy engaged in survival strategies that involve multiple income-earning activities, hustling (Thieme 2013), and side-hustling (Mwaura 2017). In Ghana, 'hustling' is a rational strategy used by young people to increase their income and insure against any non-payment by employers (Yeboah 2017). Josphat co-owned a clothing shop with a business partner, Patrick.…”

Vulnerable employment in developing economies: The case of sub‐Saharan African countries

“…For low-income countries, in addition to the lack of a functioning social security system, rigid poverty conditions feed vulnerable employment (Yeboah, 2017). Those who work under conditions of low wage and bad quality jobs are at high risk of poverty in these countries.…”

‘We built this city’: Mobilities, urban livelihoods and social infrastructure in the lives of elderly Ghanaians

“…where the prevalence of hustling as a primary source of income and 'sidehustling' as a secondary source is indicative of a dearth of formal sector and long-term secure employment (cf. Gough and Yankson 2006;Yeboah 2017).…”

“…For older people who witnessed an environment where solid career pathways were perceived as being more common, the current era of 'jobless growth' (Yeboah 2017), where broader economic gains fail to translate into individual wealth, seems to mark a failure of contemporary development and governance.…”

“…Our discussion is informed by an important element of the 'new mobilities paradigm', which involves understanding how the perception of modernity, development and national progress is tied to experiences of both transport infrastructure and economic prosperity(Rigg 2008). Scholars have long noted how expectations and aspirations tied to national development are rooted in the projected growth of the formal sector, including private industry (see, for example,Bryceson 2002;Ferguson 2015;Meagher and Lindell 2013; Simone 2004;Yeboah 2017).…”