Workers in South Africa - Employed But Financially Struggling

Working but still struggling? I’d like to hear your experience. Yep, I realise I’m back in your feed. This will be my final outreach post for this project, so I promise I’m not trying to become a permanent fixture here😅. I’m a journalism student working on a three-week reporting series about unemployment, wages and the broader employment situation in South Africa. Some of you may have seen my earlier post here, or posts I’ve made in other communities. I’m making one last call because there are only so many places where you can ask people about employment without accidentally violating a subreddit rule, starting an argument with a moderator, or making everyone wonder why the journo has appeared again. I’m looking to speak to people who are currently working but still struggling financially, or who have experienced insecure, unstable or difficult working conditions. That could include people on low wages, people working multiple jobs or side hustles, workers employed below their qualifications, temporary or casual workers, contract workers, outsourced workers, people working through labour brokers or agencies, or anyone who has experienced retrenchment, repeated short-term contracts, changes to their pay or hours, or problems with benefits or job security. I’m particularly interested in what employment actually looks like behind the payslip. Does your income cover the basics? Have you had to rely on family, debt or additional work to get by? Has having a job actually made you feel financially secure, or does it still feel like one unexpected expense could throw everything off? I’m also interested in what happens inside the workplace. If you’ve experienced difficult working conditions, excessive hours, unpaid overtime, insecure contracts, outsourcing or other issues that have affected your ability to earn a decent living, I’d be interested in hearing about your experience. You don’t need to have some dramatic story. Ordinary experiences absolutely matter too. Sometimes the most useful part of a story is simply showing what everyday working life actually looks like. Privacy is entirely your choice. You can remain anonymous, or we can discuss identification privately if you’re comfortable with it. You also don’t need to share personal information publicly. If you’re willing to share your experience, feel free to comment or DM me directly . I’d genuinely appreciate hearing from you. Thank you for reading🙏🏾.