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Day Labor in New York: Findings from the NYDL Survey
Abel Valenzuela, Jr. and Edwin Melendez
April 11, 2003
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Executive Summary
This report examines data from the New York Day Labor Survey (NYDLS). It presents descriptive data on a host of indicators that allow us to empirically assess day laborers and their work in the greater New York metropolitan area. For this study, we define a day laborer or jornalero as someone who gathers at a street corner, empty lot or parking lot of a home improvement store(e.g., Home Depot), or an official hiring site, to sell their labor for the day, hour, or for a particular job. The data presented are preliminary only in the sense that they have not been previously analyzed and comprise only one part of a larger research project on day labor. In addition, most of the findings are purposefully presented descriptively in this report. The primary objective of this report is to present original findings about a highly visible yet relatively unknown labor market in New York.
Last summer (June to mid-July), a team of eight graduate students and trained interviewers used several traditional and novel research methods to randomly survey 290-day laborers at 29 different sites (out of a total of 57 identified sites) throughout metropolitan New York. We surveyed at all five New York City boroughs, and the counties of Putnam, Rockland, Westchester, Long Island and Bergen. We utilized standard sampling techniques that allow us to generalize our findings to the overall day labor population in the New York region. Each survey was done face-to face (e.g., interviewer and interviewee),lasted about one hour, was undertaken in Spanish and English, and involved mostly close-ended questions. A modest ($20) incentive was offered to each participant for his or her time.
The study focused on six broad areas:
- Who are Day Laborers?
- What are the earnings of Day Laborers?
- What do Day Laborers do?
- Why work Day Labor?
- Who hires Day Laborers
- Are Day Laborers abused?
Who are Day Laborers?
- Day laborers are overwhelmingly Latino; one-third from Mexico, another third from the rest of Central America, and the final third including workers from South America. They are also young, and are mostly recent arrivals (less than two years) in the United States.
- About one-third of the respondents in our study listed themselves as homeless.
- Interestingly, in New York, women also day labor. They comprise slightly over 5percent of the day labor workforce.
- About half of day laborers are single. However, an almost equal number (47percent) have a spouse or are living with someone they support.
- A significant number of day laborers are educated. Their educational attainment ranges from nothing to college plus, with the mean number of years in school hovering around eight. Almost a third (30 percent) have over ten years of formal schooling.
What are the Earnings of Day Labor?
- In New York, day labor work is difficult, irregular, and often dangerous but it pays better than minimum wage. The average hourly wage ($9.37) for day labor work is about $4.22 more than the New York and federal minimum wage during normal demand conditions (i.e., spring and summer months). During difficult times (winter), this figure drops to $7.61 or $2.46 more than the minimum wage.
- Average monthly wages vary for day laborers depending on seasonal periods and demand. During a good month, day laborers on average earn $1,450. During a bad month, they earn on average about $500.
- Day labor work is a full time endeavor. Eighty-three percent of all day laborers work in this market full time; the other seventeen percent hold a part time job that on average occupies about 27 hours of their workweek (Monday Ð Sunday).
What do Day Laborers do?
- Day laborers perform a wide variety of jobs including dirty and/or dangerous tasks that might expose them to chemical wastes and other occupational hazards. They primarily work in the construction industry, including painting, carpentry, and landscape.
Why Work Day Labor?
- In New York, day labor seems to be a stepping-stone to employment in fulltime/full year work. Forty-five percent of our survey respondents have worked in this industry for less than one year.
- Sixteen percent have worked for more than four years.
- Reasons cited for not working in the formal labor market are varied. About one-third cited lack of documents and another third cited lack of English proficiency as their primary reason. Other factors include poor labor market conditions, discrimination, and employer abuses.
- Despite earning low wages, day laborers assist family members or friends in their country-of-origin in a significant way. The average number and amount of remittances sent by a day laborer in 2001 was nine and $3,641 respectively.
Who Hires Day Laborers?
- Homeowners (private individuals) and contractors are the primary employers of day laborers. Each accounts for more than 41 percent of day labor employment opportunities with contractors representing more than half of all employers.
Are Day Laborers Abused?
- Day laborers are routinely abused at the work place. About half of all day laborers report at least one instance of nonpayment of wages. Other types of employer abuses include paying less than the agreed upon amount, abandoned at work site, bad checks (NSF) in the form of payment, no breaks or water at the work site, robbery, and threats.
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Day Labor in New York: Findings from the NYDL Survey
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*Note about downloading: These documents are available in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view, save, or print them. You can download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader software at http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html.
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