| dc.description.abstract | This study explores the role of unskilled casual work in the propagation of chronic urban poverty. It is based on the assumption that unskilled casual work predisposes urban workers to chronic urban poverty, due to irregular work and low pay. Chronic urban poverty has received renewed interest in policy and academic circles because, despite sustained urban development, urban poverty persists in many areas. The study argues, however, that the complexity of chronic urban poverty cannot be fully understood on the basis of income and eonswnption measures alone. It, therefore, uses a social exclusion framework to examine how chronic urban poverty is initiated (drivers) and sustained (maintainers).
The study was carried out in Greenfields Estate of Embakasi Constituency. Two focus group discussions and eight life history interviews were conducted with casual workers to obtain an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of chronic urban poverty. The study found that lack of vocational ski1ls is the single major driver of chronic poverty among casual workers. Casual workers with vocational skills were found to have a higher self-esteem and to command higher pay.
This enabled them to work their way out of poverty. Casual workers without vocational skills were found to suffer self-devaluation, apathy and regular unemployment. This is because they were confined to prospecting for work in areas where they have personal contacts. This reduced the volume of work they could access and led to income inadequacy. Income inadequacy in tum precipitated poor nutrition, high indebtedness, and vulnerability to random socks, leading to chronic poverty.
The study finds, therefore, that there is a need to equip urban casual workers with vocational skills, which they can rely on to earn a living. Alternatively, there is a need to establish guaranteed work programmes and/or social protection schemes that enable urban casual workers to earn a regular basic income in order to prevent their slide into chronic poverty. | en_US |
