Examining the livelihoods and subjective well-being of car guards in Durban's informal sector.
Abstract
Car guarding remains a prominent South African informal employment option, at either public
or private parking sites. This PhD by publication addressed two relevant objectives through four
separate stand-alone articles. The first objective assessed car-guards’ livelihood in terms of their
earnings, expenditures, and the challenges faced, and secondly explored the independent
variables that affect their subjective well-being (SWB). These objectives were assessed at free to
park sites in 2015, as well as free to park and ticketed parking sites in 2019. Furthermore, all
articles used mixed methods research, and considered factors such as their demographic
characteristics, income, and education. The first article used secondary data gathered from
interviews with 30 car-guards at shopping-centres, hospitals, and beachfronts in 2015. The
findings revealed that the average car guard worked a total of six days per week and an average of
nine hours per day, and average income ranged from ZAR 4.64 to ZAR 30 per hour. The second
paper interviewed 30 car-guards in 2019 at free to park sites, to examine their livelihood at the
same sites (where possible) as the other articles. Furthermore, the findings from 2019 where
compared with the 2015 findings from the first article. It was found that there was a considerable
reduction in real income levels. The third article considered the socio-economic livelihood of 15
car-guards at ticketed pay to park sites, to the 30 car-guards at free to park sites (2019
interviews). Car guards at ticketed parking sites earn substantially less. The final article assessed
the SWB of the total 45 car-guards interviewed in 2019 using the Short Form Oxford Happiness
Questionnaire. At all parking sites, four variables were found to be statistically significant as
possible determinants of SWB, namely age; age squared; level of education; and race. No
statistically significant evidence was found that happiness is related solely to earnings. These
studies contribute to a better understanding of car-guards’ socio-economic livelihoods and the
informal sector. Recommendations include better regulation of car guards and car guarding
agents, and further research regarding the uniqueness of the informal sector, and civil injustice
of daily bay fees.