The State of Employment
by ALTMAN, M., 2004State of the Nation: South Africa 2004-2005. Chapter 16. Cape Town: Human Sciences Research Council Press pp 423-454
Altman considers the meaning of job creating versus jobless growth, and assesses the character of employment creation in South Africa. She reviews the extent of job creation in the economy and compares this with the pace of labour force and economic growth. She then assesses the quality of these jobs and their contribution to household…
read more >>Paths to Employment Expansion in a Minerals Economy
by ALTMAN, M. , 2001Urban Forum, 12 (3-4), July – December, 2001, Vol 12, issue 3-4, pp. 314 – 335.
It is not surprising that South Africa has not attracted sufficient foreign investment to induce higher growth rates and absorb its substantial labour surplus. It can be characterised as a minerals economy, primarily attracting resource-based investments and government induced opportunities. The minerals rents enabled the government to by-pass the development of labour absorbing sectors in…
read more >>Quantifying the Outsourcing of Jobs from Manufacturing to Services
by TREGENNA, F. , 2008South African Journal of Economics Vol. 76:S2 August 2008
There has been debate internationally and in South Africa about the extent to which a relative decline in manufacturing employment and rise in services employment can be accounted for by intersectoral outsourcing of jobs in the domestic economy. This article develops a new methodology for testing for and quantifying outsourcing at an economy-wide level. This…
read more >>The Economy-Wide Effects of Price Reducing Reforms In Infrastructure Services In South Africa
by DAVIES,R.,VAN SEVENTER,D.E.N, 2006Research Report, Employment Growth & Development Initiative, Human Sciences Research Council
Prices of infrastructure services in South Africa may be higher than in other countries because of imperfect competition, non-tariff barriers to trade, or inefficiencies in production. A static computerised general equilibrium (CGE) model is used to analyse the economy-wide effects of reducing telecommunications and transport prices by reforming each of these three factors. This modelling…
read more >>The Economic Influence of Infrastructural Expenditure: A Multiplier Decomposition and Structural Path Analysis
by GARCIA, A., ARNDT, C., and NGANDU, S., 2009Research Report. Centre for Poverty Employment and Growth, Human Sciences Research Council
Garcia et al. explore the use of structural path analysis in assessing the potential economic impact of the South African government’s planned infrastructural programme of R787 billion. The construction sector is large enough to accommodate a substantial stimulus and has significant linkages with other production activities and households at all income levels. Structural path analysis…
read more >>Administered Prices Study on Economic Inputs: Executive Summary – Ports, Rail, Water
by ALTMAN, etal, 2008HSRC research report prepared for Nedlac
“This is the executive summary of an extensive report examining the prices of goods and services provided by entities owned by the South African government in water, rail and ports. Prices in these three sectors are referred to as ‘administered’ due to the public ownership of the entities providing them. Furthermore, each sector provides important…
read more >>South Africa’s Economic Development Trajectory: Implications for Skills Development Strategy
by MAYER, M.J. & ALTMAN, M., 2005Journal of Education and Work Vol. 18, No. 1, March 2005, pp. 33–56
Mayer and Altman argue that skills development in South Africa must be aligned to the economic and political imperatives of reducing unemployment and poverty, while fostering growth and international competitiveness. The legacy of a resource-based economy, overlaid by apartheid policies, has resulted in widespread poverty, inequality and unemployment existing alongside globally competitive industries. It is…
read more >>Employment and skills in South African Exports
by VAN SEVENTER, D.E.N, 2006Research Report. Centre for Poverty Employment and Growth, Human Sciences Research Council
Van Seventer reports on the labour absorption of South Africa’s exports, using a simple configuration based on a first-generation social accounting matrix (SAM). It compares the labour absorption of exports with that of domestic demand, and also discusses labour absorption by destination market. A distinction is made between full backward linkages and those where supply…
read more >>Labour Regulation and Enterprise Strategies in South Africa
by ALTMAN, M. , 1996Regional Studies, vol 30(4), pp. 387-399, 1996.
Altman explores the impact of regional differences in labour regulation on the accumulation strategies of firms in the South African clothing industry. A strong positive relationship was found between dominant accumulation strategies and forms of local regulation. In the context of a footloose industry, South African clothing firms should have been able to make use…
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