This thesis deals with unemployment in the Středočeský Region and then it deals with the local labor market. It focuses on active employment policy and its impact on human resources in the region. The aim of this thesis is evaluate the success of programs aimed at the active employment policy and assess its impact not only in the whole region but also on micro-regions and districts. In conclusion it is formulated recommendations for the future. In the theoretical part of the thesis is define the term unemployment and described ways of its measurement and analysis. It describes the historical development of unemployment at the national level since 1993 and also briefly describes the state employment policy. In the practical part of the work is focused on the Středočeský region, socio-economic ana-lysis and its position in the Czech Republic. It defines the specifics of the region, peculiari-ties of the regional labor market factors and the specific structure of human resources. At the end of the work are analyzed various programs to promote active employment and draw their impact on the labor market and the situation in the region, together with recom-mendations.

This diploma work analyzes selected social indicators in region Pardubice. The aim of the diploma work is find out how the indicators developed under the influence of economic recession. Period between the years 2006 and 2011 is analyzed. The theoretical part of the diploma work is focused on characterization of selected social indicators, inception of economic recession and its impacts on the Czech republic. The practical part of the diploma work analyzes first demographic and economic situation in region Pardubice and then it analyzes selected social indicators. It compares the progress of the indicators in region Pardubice with the progress of average value of these indicators in the Czech republic. The analysis confirmed that economic recession has presumed social impacts and so it influences selected social indicators.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Over the past four years, growing volumes of media literature centre staged the Namibian economy with the dilemma of the ‘Children of the Liberation Struggle of Namibia’ (CoLSoN) in their resilient protest for employment. Yet, amid such chronicled portrayal and persistent social, economic and political discourse, the underpinnings of the plight of the CoLSoN for labour market participation received vigorous scholarly inattention and remained scientifically unexplored. This study, therefore, contributes to the body of knowledge on the employability, employment prospects and vulnerability to unemployment, and public policy interventions depicting the unemployed CoLSoN in Namibia. The Researcher situated the study in a post-positivist paradigm. Positioned in the Human Capital Theory, the study utilised the employability theory to examine the employability of the unemployed CoLSoN. The study employed the conceptual framework of employment prospects and vulnerability to unemployment to investigate the domains responsible for the low employment prospects and vulnerability to unemployment of the unemployed CoLSoN. Drawing on the theory of search and match, the study examined the typology of the supply-side effort of Government to establish the controlling of the ensuing disequilibrium of the demand-supply side efforts. The study employed a concurrent mixed method design comprising quantitative and qualitative schemes of inquiry, and drew a sample size of 605 unemployed CoLSoN through the simple random probability sampling procedure to respond to a 76-item survey instrument. Additionally, the study drew a purposive sub sample of 50 CoLSoN and two organisations to amplify the experiences of the unemployed CoLSoN and inform of the policy options directed to their plight through semi-structured interviews. The study analysed the quantitative data utilising the ANOVA, Multiple regression techniques, Spearman correlation and t-test of the SPSS software. Qualitative data analysis occurred through the application of thematic categorisation. The study found that fierce labour market demands and administrative malice delay the transition into the labour market of the unemployed CoLSoN. The interviews revealed intergenerational poverty transmission a distant, but potent dynamic of degenerating individual qualities among the unemployed CoLSoN for employability. The ANOVA sustained the postulation that low employability traits are not equally prevalent in all the age groups of the unemployed CoLSoN. Estimates indicate that a mere investment in the education of the unemployed CoLSoN would improve their generic employability by about 11%. The study recommends the exercise of employability as an Active Labour Market Policy to balance the demand-supply-side inconsistencies of the labour market that exclude the disadvantaged from participating therein. The study further recommends the reinforcement of institutional audit procedures to control the inaptness of intentional administrative barriers to the labour market participation of the CoLSoN. The study also recommends the granting of fiscal incentives to the private sector for a speedy absorption of the CoLSoN into the labour market. That way, the low employment prospects among the unemployed CoLSoN would contract. Their employability for labour market participation would augment, invigorating them to take charge of their lives and curb poverty transmission to the next generations.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / The Quarterly Labour Force survey by Statistics South Africa (2019) portrays a very bleak future for the South African economy and labour force. The unemployment rate is 27.6% and youth unemployment stands at 55.2%. The National Development Plan (NDP) recognises the relevance of the informal sector and the value that it will contribute to the economy and to solving the challenges of unemployment in South Africa. The NDP projects that the informal sector, which includes domestic work, will create between 1,2 and 2 million new jobs by 2030. Few studies have been conducted on informal trading projects. This study explores the case of a ‗transitional‘ informal enterprise support project aimed at micro-enterprise development wherein 10 informal traders in Cape Town took occupancy of provincial government-sponsored kiosks on 9 May 2016. The Long Street kiosks (LSK) offer 10 traders per year a unique trading opportunity in the CBD free of rent and service charges for a period of one year, with access to a unique and potentially large market. The purpose of this study is to critically examine the role played in the informal enterprise development project by the Western Cape provincial government through its project manager, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT). This research attempts to investigate aspects of project design such as the selection criteria of the informal traders for the project, and selected results such as whether the project provided the traders with enough market exposure to the formal economy and whether their businesses were improved by participation in the project. The qualitative research approach was used for this study of the LSK project, which was a single case study, as both a unit of analysis and as a research method. The study involved a combination of two approaches, namely desktop research followed by interviews and focus group sessions. The study found that a number of limitations and shortcomings in the conduct of the project impacted on the mixed results and success achieved, pertaining to selection criteria, lack of financial and other resources, training, market-related problems, skill set limitations as well as environmental factors such as transport. The study nevertheless cast useful light on potential changes and recommendations that could enhance the project going forward and provides new insights on the complex relationship between the informal and formal ii economies and their relative potential for addressing the challenges of employment and economic growth.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / All around the world, graduate youths are experiencing increasing high number of unemployment, compared to older people of the labour force. This rising rate of unemployment amongst graduate youths has been noticed since the global financial crisis. In South Africa, youth unemployment is on the rise, which leads to social, economic and political challenges. Graduate youth unemployment is crippling the economy of South Africa. Therefore, this study was undertaken to investigate the experiences, causes and consequences of unemployment amongst graduate youth in Ga-Kgapane Limpopo province of South Africa, with an objective to provide concrete recommendations on the ways in which the public and private sectors can tackle challenges of graduate youth unemployment. In the study, a qualitative approach was used to collect data and to analyse data. 13 participants who met the criteria was selected using purposive sampling.

The objective of this study was to explore how meaning unfolded in the narratives of unemployed young adult graduates. South Africa has the highest youth unemployment rate in the world, which is affecting a growing number of university graduates. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge about this population by combining insights on unemployment, young adulthood as a distinctive developmental period, and meaning. A qualitative research design, incorporating an existential-humanistic paradigm, was utilised to explore the nuances of personal experiences regarding meaning. A total of 12 participants between the ages of 21 and 30 who had graduated and had been unemployed for at least six months took part in individual interviews. Rich data were gathered through narrative interviews, and a narrative analysis yielded findings that demonstrated the uniqueness of each story and common themes that emerged. The participants had experienced a loss of meaning when expectations of employment were disappointed, which inspired efforts to seek meaning. Commitment to their original purpose through further education, connecting with supportive people, being involved in meaningful activities, and reflecting on how to obtain new coherence and growth restored their sense of meaning. The findings suggest that the ability to pursue new avenues of meaning can be cultivated as a valuable resource during unemployment. Stakeholders involved in graduates’ transition to work should consider including meaning-focused interventions to prepare graduates for the labour market and to curb the deleterious effects of unemployment. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Psychology / PhD / Unrestricted

Magister Commercii - MCom / The South African economy is faced with a crisis of persistently high and rising unemployment rates. Although this is a cause for serious concern, the statistic captures a segment of the working-age population enduring recurrent spells of unemployment – a vulnerable group for consideration that these figures fail to uncover. The dilemma could be linked to the influx of previously disadvantaged groups (i.e. Africans and females) into the labour market since the dawn of democracy. Thus, the newly appointed South African government inherits an economy that had systematically disadvantaged most of the population, leading to an oversupply of labour, where highly-skilled labour appears to be more appealing in comparison to the relatively low-skilled labour offered by these persons. Historically suppressed groups thus disproportionately bear the brunt of this unemployment, where some may have involuntarily remained rooted in unemployment for longer periods of time than those considered unemployed on a temporal basis. The importance of exploring and understanding the roles of some underlying forces is extremely crucial to wrestle this pressing issue in a South African context, when examining labour market dynamics. This study therefore explores the nature and extent of chronic unemployment by examining the data of the first four available waves (2008, 2010/2011, 2012 and 2014/2015) of the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS). The empirical findings reveal that those significantly more susceptible to chronic unemployment are: African individuals with either incomplete secondary education or at most a Matric qualification in tandem with an additional certificate/diploma, residing in traditional areas in less wealthy provinces (i.e. Free State and Mpumalanga). Furthermore, the results demonstrate that these chronically unemployed individuals are more likely to form part of the youth (25-44 years), be non-poor, with their household composition consisting of one to five household members where the minority enjoy wage employment whereas the majority endure spells of unemployment. Ultimately, they devote themselves to informal employment and occupations requiring semi-skilled and relatively unskilled labour in the community, social and personal services industry and on average earn R 3 342 per month in 2016 December prices.

The impact of strict employment protection legislation (EPL) on unemployment is still uncertain. However, evidence in literature points to the hiring and firing provisions of EPL being the source of some of the labour market rigidity in South Africa.Hiring and firing provisions comprise a number of elements such as severance pay, dismissal procedures, probationary employment and temporary work arrangements. This research investigates the impact of these measures on the hiring and firing decision through a survey questionnaire distributed to approximately 20 000 small business respondents, who were also tested on the impact of EPL on small business in creating new jobs.The purpose of the research was therefore to contribute to the literature on the role which EPL plays in the hiring and firing decision, and ultimately on unemployment.The results of the research point to a still strong perception that EPL in South Africa is strict despite evidence to the contrary, and that small business respondents believe procedural elements play a significant role in their hiring and firing decision, but some uncertainty with regard to the role of severance pay. The strongest indication was the perception of the regulatory burden of EPL faced by small businesses. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Magister Economicae - MEcon / The "new" South Africa faces a big challenge. Unemployment, poverty and economic hardship still characterise the life of the majority of South Africans. Most people expect this to change under democracy. This will only be possible, however, if the economy can grow fast enough. What type of economic policies can a future government adopt to bring about economic growth and the reduction of poverty? More specifically, can the government raise taxes in order to spend more on the poor without reducing economic growth? The increased expenditure, given the existing deficit, will pressurise government to increase taxes. If this were to happen, the question that comes to mind is whether a savings constraint will develop. At the moment South Africa is not experiencing a savings constraint. This can be attributed to the fact that investment declined more than saving over the past few years. However, if investment has to increase over the next few years to achieve higher economic growth, the question arises whether domestic saving will increase enough to finance it. This will be difficult if an increasing tax burden has a negative impact on saving. Saving has long been recognized as a major factor in the process of economic development, directly by its diversion of resources into the formation of capital, and indirectly through changes in technology which are implemented when new capital is put to use. Few would dispute that domestic saving is important for the financing of development and it is evident that a country will require higher saving rates if it wants to invest more.

Are ethnic income gaps a result of attitudes? This paper studies how natives’ negative attitudes towards immigrants affect the income gap on the Swedish labor market. The significance of this question is based on policies in the European union that work towards labor markets that are free from discrimination that are based on characteristics such as ethnicity, gender etc. This paper will investigate the situation on the Swedish labor market in hopes that both foreign and domestic policy makers will work together, towards creating a labor market that does not discriminate by race. To answer this question, we use a behavioral measure of the general public as an attitude measure, which also should be fairly representative for the employers’ attitudes in the same region. This measure is obtained from a field experiment conducted on the Swedish housing market. This data addressed the general public’s attitudes towards immigrants in terms of positive callbacks to a housing contract. This data combined with data on earnings, age, sex, race, and education, from Statistics Sweden (SCB), could be used to run four different OLS-regressions in Stata. We found weak to no evidence that attitudes contribute to the income gap due to lack of data on employment, unemployment, hourly wages, and firm information. A further investigation containing data on work hours and hourly wages are essential to conclude that attitudes affect the income gap. Our hopes are that future studies regarding differences in earnings between natives and immigrants keep getting studied with additional data on hourly wages and employment.