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Unemployment and labour market (in)flexibility in South Africa

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: When South Africa re-entered the global arena, her immediate priority was to search for
and affirm her position in the global economy. In this process, South Africa has witnessed
massive job losses that compounded the already existing problem of unemployment. South
Africa is considered to be one of the countries with the highest levels of unemployment - a
fact that has raised a great deal of concern among Government, Business and Labour.
This study project examines the functioning of South Africa's labour market with the
intention of establishing whether or not it is linked to the problem of unemployment. The
study draws labour-flexibility comparisons between the world's most flexible and
deregulated labour market (USA) and Europe; and, relatively, tries to find South Africa's
position.
The study has revealed that there is a relationship between flexibility and employment -
countries with flexible labour markets, ceteris paribus, also have high levels of ~- employment and vice versa. The study has also revealed that a culmination of high levels
of illiteracy, trade union activities and the new labour laws has resulted into labour market
rigidities which are partly responsible for the high rate of unemployment in South Africa.
The study has also revealed that any effort by South Africa to adopt the US-style of labour
market flexibility should be accompanied by some other policy checks to ensure maximum
benefits. This is based on the finding that flexibility per se could have devastating effects
for the economy. It is not only the labour market rigidities that are responsible for the current high rate of
unemployment in South Africa. Factors like persistent and systematic decline in labour
absorption capacity vis-a '-vis persistent and systematic increase in labour supply, decline
in economic growth and globalisation claim a lion's share. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Met Suid-Afrika se hertoetrede tot die internasionale arena was sy eerste prioriteit om sy
plek in die wêreldekonomie te vind en te bevestig. Algaande het Suid-Afrika 'n
grootskaalse verlies aan werkgeleenthede ervaar, wat die reeds bestaande probleem van
werkloosheid vererger het. Vandag word Suid-Afrika beskou as een van die lande met die
hoogste vlakke van werkloosheid - wat groot kommer by die regering, besigheid en
arbeid wek.
Hierdie werkstuk ondersoek die funksionering van Suid-Afrika se arbeidmark met die doel
om vas te stel of dit met die probleem van werkloosheid verband hou al dan nie. Die
studie maak vergelykings ten opsigte van arbeidsbuigsaamheid tussen die wêreld se mees
buigsame en gedereguleerde arbeidsmark (VSA) en Europa, en poog om Suid-Afrika se
relatiewe posisie te bepaal.
Die studie toon dat daar 'n verband tussen buigsaamheid en werkverskaffing is - dat
lande met buigsame arbeidsmark, ceteris paribus, ook hoë vlakke van werkverskaffing
het, en omgekeerd. Die studie het ook bevind dat 'n hoë vlak van ongeletterdheid,
vakbondaktiwiteite en die nuwe arbeidswette aanleiding gegee het tot
arbeidsmarkonbuigsaamheid, wat gedeeltelik verantwoordelik is vir die hoë
werkloosheidsyfer in Suid-Afrika.
Die studie toon verder dat enige poging deur Suid-Afrika om die
arbeidsmarkbuigsaamheid van die VSA toe te pas, met ander beleidsmaatreëls gepaard
moet gaan om maksimum voordele te verseker. Dit is gegrond op die bevinding dat
buigsaamheid per se verreikende gevolge vir die ekonomie kan hê. Dit is nie net die onbuigsaamheid van die arbeidsmark wat vir die huidige hoë
werkloosheidsyfer in Suid-Afrika verantwoordelik is nie. Faktore soos 'n volgehoue en
stelselmatige afname in die kapasiteit om arbeid te absorbeer teenoor 'n volgehoue en
stelselmatige toename in arbeidsaanbod, 'n afname in ekonomiese groei, en globalisering is
vir 'n leeue-aandeel verantwoordelik.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52597
Date03 1900
CreatorsTuipende, Deoden
ContributorsRoux, A., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic & Management Sciences. Graduate School of Business.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Format71 p. : ill.
RightsStellenbosch University

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