Informal enterprise
Creating jobs, reducing poverty II: The substantial employment performance of the informal sector
In this extract from a new REDI3x3 book, the employment-creating behaviour of informal enterprises is analysed – in particular, enterprises with employees. Almost half of those working in the informal sector work in such multi-person firms – which provide paid work to about 850 000 people (owner-operators plus paid employees). There is a growing employment orientation and employment intensity. Jobs are created via new-firm entry as well as employment expansion – also by one-person enterprises. Entrant firms are vulnerable, though.
Creating jobs, reducing poverty I: Why the informal sector should be taken seriously and enabled properly
In the first extract from a new REDI3x3 book on the role of the informal sector in job creation and poverty reduction, a compact picture of the size, texture and impact of the sector is provided. One in every six South Africans who work, work in the informal sector. Several policy-relevant features are highlighted, such as industry, spatial and gender dimensions. This provides the backdrop for the second extract on the employment-creating performance of the informal sector.
Informal enterprise ownership: the importance of previous employment experience
Enterprises in the informal sector are known to have a precarious existence. The economic value and survival of an informal enterprise depend on the preparedness and motivation of the owner, inter alia. This article analyses the relevance of the work experience of a new, or entering, enterprise owner. It finds that prior work experience predicts informal enterprises that are larger, are more profitable, have more employees and are more likely to have their finances and premises separate from the household.