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Abstract:
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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 an 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. |