CUED

A Fair Day's Pay?
Homeless Day Laborers in Chicago

February 2000
Nikolas Theodore, Center for Urban Economic Development, UIC
PDF paper (77KB)

Executive Summary

Contrary to popular assumptions, homeless men and women in Chicago are working - and working regularly. The majority of adults living in homeless shelters work day labor through staffing agencies. Yet they remain homeless because the jobs they hold are low paying and unstable. These workers are part of a growing segment of the economy - "contingent workers" who hold temporary job assignments through temporary help agencies. In the case of day labor, workers line up each morning at agencies in hope of receiving a work assignment for a manual labor job at a factory, warehouse, and other work site.

This study contains the findings of a survey of 510 homeless men and women. The survey was conducted at four Chicago homeless shelters on a single night in October 1999. Shelter residents were asked a series of questions regarding their experiences working day labor including questions about occupations, wages, and job safety.

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