Assessing work engagement of street traders (vendors) in the City of Tshwane, South Africa

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine the occupational well-being of street traders, the most visible own-account workers in the informal sector, by assessing their work engagement through the UWES. The UWES is one of the few valid and most used instruments in assessing work engagement. UWES is validated for use in the formal sector. The informal sector accounts for most employment at more than 60 percent, yet well-being is most studied in the formal sector than in the informal sector. Participants were selected through a convenient sampling strategy. A survey questionnaire was administered face-to-face to collect quantitative data from participants. Data were analysed using International Business Machines (IBM) SPSS version 28. The pretest and pilot studies were conducted and reported prior data collection for the main study to improve quality assurance in the study. The UWES-7, instead of UWES-9, was validated for the study. The data did not support the factorial invariance of the three dimensions of UWES, namely, vigour, dedication, and absorption. Thus, a one-factor model was computed to determine work engagement, thus alleviating challenges associated with multicollinearity in the study. Some demographic variables were assessed and found to relate to work engagement. For example, agency motives traders (those trading out of choice) were reported to be more engaged in their work than structural motives traders (those trading out of necessity). The validity of UWES in assessing the work engagement of street traders is important for SDG 8, which promotes decent work for all. Given that the formal economy struggles to create decent work for all, the ILO recommends that the informal sector should be supported through policy development so as bring this about.

Dinyakisiso tse di dirilwe go laetsa go phela gabotse mmeleng mosomong ga barekisi ba mebileng, basomi ba go soma mesomo ya bona bao ba bonagalago kudu ka lekaleng le e sego la semmuso, ka go sekaseka mabaka a bona a mosomo ka UWES. UWES ke ye nngwe ya didiriswa tse mmalwa tse di somago le tse di somiswago kudu go sekaseka mabaka a mosomo. UWES e netefaditswe go somiswa ka lekaleng la semmuso. Lekala leo e sego la semmuso le ikarabela go bontsi bja mesomo ka go feta diphesente tse 60, le ge go le bjalo bophelo bjo Aon Hewitt bo ithutwa kudu ka lekaleng la semmuso go feta ka lekaleng leo e sego la semmuso. Bakgathatema ba ile ba kgethwa ka leano le le loketsego la go tsopola. Lenaneopotsiso la tekolonyakisiso le ile la laolwa go lebanya ka mahlo go kgoboketsa datha ya go somisa dipalopalo go tswa go bakgathatema. Datha e ile ya sekasekwa ka go somisa phetolelo ya 28 ya Metshene ya Kgwebo ya Boditshabatshaba ebago International Business Machines (IBM) SPSS. Dinyakisiso tsa pele ga teko le tsa go tseba ka kgonagalo di dirilwe gomme tsa bega kgoboketso ya datha ya pele ya dinyakisisokgolo go Aon Hewitt afatsa netefatso ya boleng mo dinyakisisong. UWES-7, go e na le UWES-9, e ile ya netefatswa bakeng sa dinyakisiso. Datha ga se ya thekga go se se fapane ga dintlha tsa dikarolo tse tharo tsa UWES, e lego, maatla, boikgafo, le go monego. Ka go realo, mohlala wa lebaka le tee o ile wa balwa go laetsa mabaka a mosomo, ka go realo wa fokotsa ditlhohlo tseo di amanago le kamano ye maatla ya diphetogo tse di ikemego ka dinyakisisong. Diphetogo tse dingwe tsa tshedimoso ka ga setshaba di ile tsa hlahlobja gomme gwa hwetswa di amana le mabaka a mosomo. Go fa mohlala, bagwebi ba maikemisetso a setheo (bao ba gwebago ka boithaopo) go ile gwa begwa gore ba swaregile kudu mosomong wa bona go feta bagwebi ba maikemisetso a sebopego (bao ba gwebago ka lebaka la maemo ao a ka se fetoswego). Nepagalo ya UWES mo go sekasekeng mosomo wa bagwebi ba mebileng go bohlokwa go SDG ya 8, yeo e tswetsago pele mesomo ye e hlomphegago go batho bohle. Ka ge go bonagala gore ikonomi ya semmuso e katana le go hlolela batho bohle mesomo ye e hlomphegago, ILO e sisinya gore lekala leo e sego la semmuso le swanetse go thekgwa ka tlhabollo ya pholisi gore se se direge.

Ucwaningo lwenziwa ukuze kutholwe inhlalakahle yomsebenzi yabahwebi basemgwaqweni, abasebenzi ama-akhawunti wabo emkhakheni ongakahleleki, ngokuhlola ukuzibandakanya kwabo emsebenzini nge-UWES. I-UWES ingelinye lamathuluzi ambalwa asemthethweni futhi asetshenziswa kakhulu ekuhloleni ukuzibandakanya komsebenzi. I-UWES iqinisekisiwe ukuthi isetshenziswe emkhakheni osemthethweni. Umkhakha ongakahleleki uhola abantu abaningi abaqashwayo ngamaphesenti angaphezu kwama-60, kodwa inhlalakahle ifundwa kakhulu emkhakheni osemthethweni kunasembonini engahlelekile. Ababambiqhaza bakhethwe ngesu lokusampula elikahle. Uhlu lwemibuzo lwenhlolovo lwasetshenziswa ubuso nobuso ukuze kuqoqwe iminingwane yobuningi kubabambiqhaza. Imininingwane yahlaziywa kusetshenziswa i-International Business Machines (IBM) SPSS ivejini yama-28. Ucwaningo lwangaphambili kanye nokuhlola lwenziwa futhi lwabika ukuqoqwa kwedatha yangaphambili yocwaningo oluyinhloko ukuze kuthuthukiswe ukuqinisekiswa kwekhwalithi ocwaningweni. I-UWES-7, esikhundleni se-UWES-9, yaqinisekiswa ocwaningweni. Iminingwane ayizange isekele ukuguquguquka kwezinto zobukhulu obuthathu be-UWES, okungukuthi, amandla, ukuzinikela, nokwamukeleka. Ngakho-ke, imodeli yesici esisodwa yahlanganiswa ukuze kunqunywe ukuzibandakanya komsebenzi, ngaleyo ndlela kuncishiswe izinselele ezihlobene nekhoniliyarithi yokuningi ocwaningweni. Okunye okuguquguqukayo kwezibalo zabantu kwahlolwa futhi kwatholakala ukuthi kuhlobene nokuzibandakanya komsebenzi. Isibonelo, abathengisi bezinjongo ze-ejensi (labo abahweba ngaphandle kokuzikhethela) kubikwe ukuthi bamatasa kakhulu emsebenzini wabo kunabathengisi bezinjongo zesakhiwo (labo abahweba ngaphandle kwesidingo). Ukuba semthethweni kwe-UWES ekuhloleni ukuzibandakanya komsebenzi wabadayisi basemgwaqweni kubalulekile ku-SDG 8, ethuthukisa umsebenzi ohloniphekile wawo wonke umuntu. Uma kubhekwa ukuthi umnotho osemthethweni udonsa kanzima ukudala imisebenzi ehloniphekile yawo wonke umuntu, i-ILO incoma ukuthi umkhakha ongekho emthethweni kufanele usekelwe ngokuthuthukiswa kwenqubomgomo ukuze lokhu kwenzeke.