Chapter 04 · People & supply chainsHuman Rights & Social Sustainability
Day laborer
Definition
A day laborer is a worker engaged on a daily, casual basis — hired for a day at a time, paid at the day's end, with no continuing employment relationship, contract security or benefits. Day labour sits within informal labour markets as characterised in the literature (Castells & Portes), and is widespread in agriculture, construction and urban services, including migrant day-labour pickup markets.
References
Supports definition and framing.
Overview
What it means
Maximum employment flexibility for the employer, matched by maximum precarity for the worker — no sick pay, safety net or predictable income.
How it is used
The category matters in supply-chain due diligence (casual harvest labour), living-wage analysis and labour-rights auditing, where casual status often conceals long-term dependence and heightened rights risks.
Why it matters
Day labour concentrates occupational-health, wage-theft and rights risks; sustainability standards increasingly require visibility into casual and temporary workforces, not just permanent staff.