Series
Upjohn Institute Working Paper No. 05-120
DOI
10.17848/wp05-120
Issue Date
August 2005
Abstract
Minimum wages have been in place for South Africa's one million domestic service workers since November of 2002. Using data from seven waves of the Labour Force Survey, this paper documents that the real wages, average monthly earnings, and total earnings of all employed domestic workers have risen since the regulations came into effect, while hours of work per week and employment have fallen. Each of these outcomes can be linked econometrically to the arrival of the minimum wage regulations. The overall estimated elasticities suggest that the regulations should have reduced poverty somewhat for domestic workers, although this last conclusion is the least robust.
Subject Areas
LABOR MARKET ISSUES; Wages, health insurance and other benefits; Minimum wage; Retirement and pensions
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Citation
Hertz, Tom. 2005. "The Effect of Minimum Wages on the Employment and Earnings of South Africa's Domestic Service Workers." Upjohn Institute Working Paper No. 05-120. Kalamazoo, MI: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. https://doi.org/10.17848/wp05-120