Arbeitspapier

The impact of Covid-19 on South African migrant wage workers and the self-employed

When Covid-19 struck, the South African government declared some of the strictest lockdowns worldwide. The impact of lockdowns on the working classes was especially severe. Initially many workers were left with no income, leading to warnings that a pandemic of hunger may eclipse the deadliness of the Covid-19 pandemic. Classified as essential workers, farm workers were "lucky enough" to continue working and earning an income. Yet, this paper highlights how Covid-19 regulations exacerbated their vulnerability due to a pre-existing lack of public regulation and enforcement of basic labour and transport regulation in the sector. Apart from farm workers, the paper also discusses how informal workers - in this case taxi drivers - tried to leverage the pandemic to push for closer integration into the agricultural sector to create more sustainable livelihoods for themselves.

ISBN
978-92-2-038855-6
Language
Englisch

Bibliographic citation
Series: ILO Working Paper ; No. 88

Classification
Wirtschaft
Subject
self employment
migrant workers
COVID-19

Event
Geistige Schöpfung
(who)
Visser, Margareet
Event
Veröffentlichung
(who)
International Labour Organization (ILO)
(where)
Geneva
(when)
2023

DOI
doi:10.54394/XNFN9211
Handle
Last update
10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET

Data provider

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Object type

  • Arbeitspapier

Associated

  • Visser, Margareet
  • International Labour Organization (ILO)

Time of origin

  • 2023

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