IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/unu/wpaper/wp-2022-40.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The COVID-19 crisis and the South African informal economy: A stalled recovery

Author

Listed:
  • Michael Rogan
  • Caroline Skinner

Abstract

This paper seeks to identify the differentiated impacts of the crisis on specific groups of informal workers. The analysis draws on official nationally representative labour force surveys collected quarterly by South Africa's national statistical agency (Statistics South Africa).

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Rogan & Caroline Skinner, 2022. "The COVID-19 crisis and the South African informal economy: A stalled recovery," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2022-40, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2022-40
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/Publications/Working-paper/PDF/wp2022-40-COVID-19-crisis-South-African-informal-economy.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Verick, Sher., 2010. "Unravelling the impact of the global financial crisis on the South African labour market," ILO Working Papers 994541013402676, International Labour Organization.
    2. repec:ilo:ilowps:454101 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Helen Barnes & Gabriel Espi-Sanchis & Murray Leibbrandt & David McLennan & Michael Noble & Jukka Olavi Pirttilä & Wynnona Steyn & Brenton Van Vrede & Gemma Wright, 2021. "Analysis of the Distributional Effects of COVID-19 and State-led Remedial Measures in South Africa," International Journal of Microsimulation, International Microsimulation Association, vol. 14(2), pages 2-31.
    4. Fisher, Eleanor & Attah, Ramlatu & Barca, Valentina & O'Brien, Clare & Brook, Simon & Holland, Jeremy & Kardan, Andrew & Pavanello, Sara & Pozarny, Pamela, 2017. "The Livelihood Impacts of Cash Transfers in Sub-Saharan Africa: Beneficiary Perspectives from Six Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 299-319.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Martha Alter Chen & Joann Vanek, 2023. "Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment: Findings from national labour surveys in five Latin American countries," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2023-94, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    2. Sophie PLAGERSON & Senzelwe MTHEMBU & Thandi SIMELANE & Khuliso MATIDZA & Anita MWANDA, 2023. "The local economic development effects of income transfers in South Africa. The Social Relief of Distress grant," Working Paper 32d74b80-0ef5-416c-aa00-d, Agence française de développement.
    3. Michael Danquah & Amina Ebrahim & Maureen Were, 2023. "The uneven path to recovery: The sub-Saharan experience," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2023-80, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Possenti, Silvia., 2012. "Rural development strategies as a path to decent work and reducing urban informal employment : the case of South Africa," ILO Working Papers 994790883402676, International Labour Organization.
    2. Sudhanshu Handa & Silvio Daidone & Amber Peterman & Benjamin Davis & Audrey Pereira & Tia Palermo & Jennifer Yablonski, 2018. "Myth-Busting? Confronting Six Common Perceptions about Unconditional Cash Transfers as a Poverty Reduction Strategy in Africa," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 33(2), pages 259-298.
    3. Silvio Daidone & Benjamin Davis & Sudhanshu Handa & Paul Winters, 2019. "The Household and Individual-Level Productive Impacts of Cash Transfer Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 101(5), pages 1401-1431.
    4. Pace, Noemi & Sebastian, Ashwini & Daidone, Silvio & Dela O Campos, Ana Paula & Prifti, Ervin & Davis, Benjamin, 2022. "Cash transfers’ role in improving livelihood diversification strategies and well-being: short- and medium-term evidence from Zimbabwe," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    5. Aalia Cassim & Kezia Lilenstein & Morne Oosthuizen & Francois Steenkamp, 2016. "Informality and Inclusive Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa," Working Papers 201602, University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit.
    6. Maria Klara Kuss & Franziska Gassmann & Firminus Mugumya, 2022. "How Inclusive are the Local Economic Impacts of Social Protection in Uganda?," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(5), pages 2156-2178, October.
    7. Essers, Dennis, 2013. "South African labour market transitions during the global financial and economic crisis: Micro-level evidence from the NIDS panel and matched QLFS cross-sections," IOB Working Papers 2013.12, Universiteit Antwerpen, Institute of Development Policy (IOB).
    8. repec:ilo:ilowps:459401 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Christophe J. Nordman & François-Charles Wolff, 2009. "Is There a Glass Ceiling in Morocco? Evidence from Matched Worker--Firm Data," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 18(4), pages 592-633, August.
    10. Kucera, David & Roncolato, Leanne & von Uexkull, Erik, 2012. "Trade Contraction and Employment in India and South Africa during the Global Crisis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(6), pages 1122-1134.
    11. Martha Alter CHEN & Erofili GRAPSA & Ghida ISMAIL & Michael ROGAN & Marcela VALDIVIA & Laura ALFERS & Jenna HARVEY & Ana Carolina OGANDO & Sarah Orleans REED & Sally ROEVER, 2022. "COVID‐19 and informal work: Evidence from 11 cities," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 161(1), pages 29-58, March.
    12. Köhler, Timothy & Bhorat, Haroon & Hill, Robert & Stanwix, Benjamin, 2023. "Lockdown stringency and employment formality: evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa," Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 57, pages 1-3.
    13. Sam Jones & Ivan Manhique, 2021. "Informal freelancers in the time of COVID-19: Insights from a digital matching platform in Mozambique," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2021-95, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    14. McGuire, Joel & Kaiser, Caspar & Bach-Mortensen, Anders, 2020. "The impact of cash transfers on subjective well-being and mental health in low- and middle- income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis," SocArXiv ydr54, Center for Open Science.
    15. Dagim Dawit Gonsamo & Herman Hay Ming Lo & Ko Ling Chan, 2021. "The Role of Stomach Infrastructures on Children’s Work and Child Labour in Africa: Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-26, August.
    16. Muhammad Faisal & Azhar Abbas & Yi Cai & Abdelrahman Ali & Muhammad Amir Shahzad & Shoaib Akhtar & Muhammad Haseeb Raza & Muhammad Arslan Ajmal & Chunping Xia & Syed Abdul Sattar & Zahira Batool, 2021. "Perceptions, Vulnerability and Adaptation Strategies for Mitigating Climate Change Effects among Small Livestock Herders in Punjab, Pakistan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-21, October.
    17. Sophie PLAGERSON & Senzelwe MTHEMBU & Thandi SIMELANE & Khuliso MATIDZA & Anita MWANDA, 2023. "The local economic development effects of income transfers in South Africa. The Social Relief of Distress grant," Working Paper 32d74b80-0ef5-416c-aa00-d, Agence française de développement.
    18. Habiyaremye, Alexis & Jacobs, Peter & Molewa, Olebogeng & Lekomanyane, Pelontle, 2021. "Macroeconomic stimulus packages and income inequality in developing countries: Lessons from the 2007-9 Great Recession for the Covid-19 crisis in South Africa," MERIT Working Papers 2021-006, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    19. repec:ilo:ilowps:479088 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. de Milliano, Marlous & Barrington, Clare & Angeles, Gustavo & Gbedemah, Christiana, 2021. "Crowding-out or crowding-in? Effects of LEAP 1000 unconditional cash transfer program on household and community support among women in rural Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    21. Verick, Sher & Islam, Iyanatul, 2010. "The Great Recession of 2008-2009: Causes, Consequences and Policy Responses," IZA Discussion Papers 4934, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    22. Gasior, Katrin & Jara, H. Xavier & Makovec, Mattia, 2024. "Assessing the effectiveness of social protection measures in mitigating COVID-19-related income shocks in the European union," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 583-605.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; South Africa; Informal; Informal economy; Labour market;
    All these keywords.

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2022-40. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Siméon Rapin (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/widerfi.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.