An explorative study: Necessity, motivation and uncertainty – Enacting entrepreneurial hustle

Abstract

Day labourers are a marginalised category of worker operating in the unregulated informal sector, which is characterised by high levels of competition and uncertainty. Day labourers are so-called necessity entrepreneurs who have largely been pushed into the informal sector due to structural economic factors. This qualitative study delved into the day labourer phenomenon in South Africa with a view of understanding why these individuals have chosen the entrepreneurial path, what opportunities and hurdles they face in looking for work and plying their respective trades. Drawing on data collected, the study revealed how these individuals employed various entrepreneurial strategies and tactics to make a living. From the analysis of the findings, three constructs emerged: the uncertain environment to which day labourers are constantly exposed; the motivational factors driving day labourers’ decision to become necessity entrepreneurs; and the pervasiveness of the entrepreneurial hustle as a catalyst for success. In many ways, the entrepreneurial hustle is the key to transitioning away from ‘push’ factors, which necessity entrepreneurs know only too well, towards ‘pull’ factors, which are more readily associated with opportunity-driven entrepreneurs. The study also enabled the formulation of a conceptual model showing how the economy (both formal and informal) and the environment (with its certainties and uncertainties) impact necessity entrepreneurs and how the entrepreneurial hustle assists to navigate the challenges that surround it.