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Direct Link to Document:
Date: |
2008-05 |
By: |
Maria
Sagrario Floro |
URL: |
|
Utilizing
time use data for exploring the issue of employment (or lack thereof) – a
critical pathway for increased incomes for the poor - has received little
attention in economic analysis. Using data from the 2000 South African
national time use survey, this paper examines the value of time use data in
policy discussions related to understanding people's employment status and
job search. In
particular, we argue that an understanding of how individuals organize their
daily life can help identify productive work and workers in a more
comprehensive way than conventional labor force surveys and can provide a
useful assessment of the effects of employment conditions on coping
strategies like job search. We assess whether labor force surveys provide a
good estimation of participation in productive activities by exploring the
time use patterns of 10, 465 women and men aged 16-64 years, particularly the
unemployed, underemployed and employed respondents. The results show that
26.7 and 17.5 percent of unemployed men and women respectively actually
engaged in SNA productive activities, spending more time than underemployed
men and women. We also examine individuals' responses to jobless growth that
affect their labor force participation and time use. Building
and developing social networks serves as an important coping strategy not
only for enhancing social insurance but also for improving job prospects.
Using an instrumental variable tobit model, we examine whether or not an
unemployed person is likely to spend more time in social networking compared
to other respondents. The findings, which are found to be robust, confirm the
hypothesis. The
results also show significant gender differences, with women spending less
time in social networking than men. Women carry the burden of housework,
which limits their time in developing social networks and in improving their
employment prospects. |
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