Moonlighting To Survive: The Effect Of Multiple Job Holding On The Working Poor In Ghana.

ABSTRACT Earlier works on moonlighting are concentrated on the motives for holding two or more jobs. In Ghana, as well as other African countries, studies on multiple job holding have mostly centered around determinants of moonlighting, relationship between moonlighting and unionism, urban deprivation and multiple modes of livelihood, among others. On the contrary, little work has been done on the effect that moonlighting has on moonlighters, especially the working poor population. This thesis examines the effect of moonlighting on the working poor population in Ghana. The study relies on data from the Ghana Living Standard Survey (GLSS 6). Following the work of Böheim & Taylor (2004), the study adopts the theory of utility maximization in identifying the number of hours individuals spend on their main and moonlighting jobs. Employing the Probit Model, the study sets outs to investigate the effect of moonlighting on the working poor in Ghana. At the end of the study, the empirical results reveal a negative and significant relationship between moonlighting and working poverty. Individuals who engage in moonlighting reduce their chance of being poor by 2.6% points. Again, results from the study indicate that, the higher an individual’s level of education, the lower the individual would be at the risk of poverty. Also, household size was found to have a positive and significant relationship with working poverty. This implies the larger the size of a household, the greater the risk of the working poverty. Last but not least, the study show working poverty is more profound in the rural areas of Ghana than in the urban areas. Findings from this study provide economic justification of sound policies that will inform policy makers and other stakeholders in making right and accurate decisions concerning the working poor population in Ghana.