The family life and well-being of migrant day labourers in Cape Town
Abstract
Day labourers are individuals in the informal economy who make a living by selling their
labour and skills on the streets in return for money. The aim of this study was to examine the
lived experiences of day labourers in Cape Town, with a specific focus on the family life and
well-being of migrant day labourers. Previous studies have indicated that day driving factors
leading to the growth and existence of the informal labour market and day labourers were
high unemployment, job scarcity and migration towards South Africa’s urban centres and
international migration from other mostly other Africa. The study furthermore determines
how such factors of migration and level of income impact the family life and well-being of
migrant day labourers in Cape Town.