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The Post-Apartheid Labour Market: 1995-2004

Author

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  • Morne Oosthuizen

    (Development Policy Research Unit, University of Cape Town)

Abstract

This paper seeks to investigate some of the changes that have occurred within the South African labour market in the post-apartheid era between 1995 and 2004 and some of the challenges the labour market presents in the attainment of shared growth, updating previous work by Bhorat and Oosthuizen (2004). The two main sources of data are the October Household Survey of 1995 and the Labour Force Survey of September 2004. The paper has found that while the unemployment rate has risen over the period, total employment has increased, bringing into question the notion of jobless growth. Unemployment, however, continues to be concentrated in specific demographically and geographically defined groups, most notably rural dwellers, Africans, females, the poorly educated and the young and, for many, represents a long-term problem. Disturbingly, unemployment has continued to grow rapidly amongst relatively educated members of the labour force, despite the skills shortage faced by the country. An individual’s probability of being employed is found to depend on his or her race, gender, age, location and level of education. However, it appears that gender plays less of a role in determining the probability of employment in 2004 than in 1995, although this is not true of race.

Suggested Citation

  • Morne Oosthuizen, 2006. "The Post-Apartheid Labour Market: 1995-2004," Working Papers 06103, University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit.
    • Handle: RePEc:ctw:wpaper:06103
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7358
    File Function: First version, 2006
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Elsabé Loots, 1998. "Job Creation and Economic Growth," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 66(3), pages 155-163, September.
    2. Daniela Casale & Dorrit Posel, 2002. "The Continued Feminisation Of The Labour Force In South Africa," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 70(1), pages 156-184, March.
    3. Murray Leibbrandt & Haroon Bhorat, 1999. "Modelling Vulnerability and Low Earnings in the South African Labour Market," Working Papers 99032, University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit.
    4. Colette Muller, 2003. "Measuring South Africa’s Informal Sector: An Analysis of National Household Surveys," Working Papers 03071, University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit.
    5. Morne Oosthuizen, 2003. "Expected Labour Demand in South Africa, 1998-2003," Working Papers 03081, University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit.
    6. C Sellars, 2000. "Unemployment, Policy and Social Partnership," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 68(3), pages 216-228, September.
    7. D. Mahadea, 2003. "Employment And Growth In South Africa: Hope Or Despair?," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 71(1), pages 21-48, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Miriam Altman, 2008. "Revisiting South African Employment Trends In The 1990s," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 76(s2), pages 126-147, August.
    2. Derek Yu, 2013. "Youth unemployment in South Africa since 2000 revisited," Working Papers 04/2013, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    3. Burns, Justine & Edwards, Lawrence & Pauw, Karl, 2010. "Wage subsidies to combat unemployment and poverty," IFPRI discussion papers 969, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    4. Delfin Go & Marna Kearney & Vijdan Korman & Sherman Robinson & Karen Thierfelder, 2010. "Wage Subsidy and Labour Market Flexibility in South Africa," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(9), pages 1481-1502.
    5. Haroon Bhorat & Karmen Naidoo & Morné Oosthuizen & Kavisha Pillay, 2015. "Demographic, employment, and wage trends in South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series 141, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    6. Mandyoli Bulelwa & Iwu Chux Gervase & Nxopo Zinzi, 2017. "Is there a Nexus between Social Entrepreneurship and the Employability of Graduates?," Foundations of Management, Sciendo, vol. 9(1), pages 61-74, February.
    7. Hélène Maisonnave & Bernard Decaluwe & Margaret Chitiga, 2016. "Does South African Affirmative Action Policy Reduce Poverty? A CGE Analysis," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 8(3), pages 212-227, September.
    8. Frederick C.v.N. Fourie, 2011. "The South African unemployment debate: three worlds, three discourses?," SALDRU Working Papers 63, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    9. Haroon Bhorat & Carlene van der Westhuizen & Toughedah Jacobs, 2009. "Income and Non-Income Inequality in Post-Apartheid South Africa: What are the Drivers and Possible Policy Interventions?," Working Papers 09138, University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit.
    10. K. Pauw & M. Oosthuizen & C. Van Der Westhuizen, 2008. "Graduate Unemployment In The Face Of Skills Shortages: A Labour Market Paradox1," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 76(1), pages 45-57, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    South Africa: labour market; unemployment; jobless growth;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A1 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics

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