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Sources of unemployment in Namibia: an application of the structural VAR approach

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  • Tafirenyika Sunde
  • Olusegun A. Akanbi

Abstract

The main purpose of the research was to establish the sources of unemployment in Namibia for the period 1980 to 2013 using the SVAR methodology. Empirical results show that persistently high unemployment is the result of a combination of various shocks as well as the hysteresis mechanism. The impulse response functions and variance decomposition functions agree that labour supply, aggregate demand, and real wages seem to be the critical factors affecting unemployment. Moreover, the price shocks affect unemployment in the long run and productivity shocks explain only a small fraction of the forecast error variance decomposition of unemployment in both the short run and long run. This finding is consistent with the controversy of uncertain effects of productivity shocks on the unemployment rate. Aggregate demand policies, deregulation policies and structural labour market reforms can be useful policy instruments to tackle unemployment in Namibia.

Suggested Citation

  • Tafirenyika Sunde & Olusegun A. Akanbi, 2016. "Sources of unemployment in Namibia: an application of the structural VAR approach," International Journal of Sustainable Economy, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 8(2), pages 125-143.
    • Handle: RePEc:ids:ijsuse:v:8:y:2016:i:2:p:125-143
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    Cited by:

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    3. Wilhelmine Naapopye Shigwedha & Teresia Kaulihowa, 2020. "Investigating the Effects of Government Expenditure and Money Supply on Unemployment in Namibia," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 12(4), pages 73-83.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    unemployment sources; labour supply; aggregate demand; real wages; price inflation; productivity; structural VAR; SVAR; stationarity; impulse response; variance decomposition; hysteresis; Namibia; price shocks; deregulation policies; labour market reforms.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs
    • J45 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Public Sector Labor Markets
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search

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