The purpose of this research was to investigate the efficacy of EPWP employment in
enhancing workers’ subsequent employability once they exit these programmes. The study
also examined the conditions of EPWP employment to glean evidence about whether or not
jobs offered in these programmes are distinguishable from other forms of casual employment
preponderant within the South African labour market. Through the use of structured
interviews complemented by individual diaries conducted with thirty-two former participants
of the Modimola Integrated EPWP in the North West province this study reveals that public
works employment is not distinguishable from other forms of “precarious” employment when
evaluated against the general indicators of labour market security, minimum wages and
benefits, working time, training, and union representation, inter alia. Contrary to the
documented policy expectation that EPWP employment will enhance workers’ skills and
labour market exposure and thereby improve their subsequent labour market performance,
this study reveals that public works employment was not successful in enhancing
participants’ access to other employment opportunities. This study found a broad
unemployment level of 97% amongst former participants of the Modimola EPWP almost five
years after they went through the programme’s training component. The principal reason
given by all the respondents was overwhelmingly lack of employment opportunities that
required a recipe of skills they had acquired during participation in this programme.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/12993 |
| Date | 06 August 2013 |
| Creators | Moyo, Mbuso |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf |
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