Trends on the hours worked of the employed, 1997 - 2011

Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP15/2012
 
Publication date: 2012
 
Author(s):
[protected email address] (Department of Economics, University of the Western Cape)
[protected email address] (Research Department, South African Reserve Bank)
 
Abstract:

This paper analyses trends in hours worked from South African household survey data for the period 1997 – 2011. The purpose of the paper is fourfold. First, the paper provides an overview on the trends in hours worked of formal sector employees, by various demographic and work characteristics. Second, the paper aims to establish how mean hours worked corresponded to the business cycle and third, the reliability of the Statistics South Africa hours worked data is assessed by comparing it with the data on hours working in the manufacturing sector by the Bureau of Economic Research (BER). Last, the newly derived hours worked variables are evaluated in terms of their usefulness as leading indicators, and how they can be used in productivity studies in the South African macroeconomic environment.

 
JEL Classification:

E32, J00

Keywords:

Work hours, Business cycles, Formal sector employees, Manufacturing industry, South Africa

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