Labour market trends in South Africa in 2009-2019: A lost decade?
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP03/2022Publication date: June 2022
Author(s):
[protected email address] (Department of Economics, University of the Western Cape)
South Africa's high unemployment has long been a key challenge for policymakers. Concerns about the social implications of sustained high unemployment are growing. Using the Quarterly Labour Force Survey data, we present evidence on key labour market trends in 2009-2019 – sometimes referred to as 'the lost decade'. Data suggest that patterns in labour market outcomes evident in the first decade of the 21st century have persisted and, in some ways, further deteriorated over the second decade. The unemployed remained largely black Africans and were concentrated amongst the less educated individuals. They remained out of work for longer and, on average, spent more time seeking employment. In accordance with recent literature, the data indicate the presence of hysteresis in unemployment. Key ameliorating policies in this scenario are skills development and structural reform of the labour market. The former is difficult to achieve, even in the long-term, while the latter is politically challenging.
JEL Classification:J20, J64
Keywords:Labour market, employment, unemployment, skills mismatch, South Africa
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Upcoming Seminars
Monday 28 July 202512:00-13:00
Dr Neil Rankin: Ceo Of Predictive Insights & Stellenbosch University
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12:00-13:00
Prof Willem Boshoff
Topic: "Two competing approaches in South African competition policy: merger control and anti-cartel enforcement over the past 30 years"
12:00-13:00
Prof Derek Yu: University Of The Western Cape
Topic: "Examining the teaching, assessment and research activities of the South African Economics Departments"
BER Weekly
13 Jun 2025 Another global flashpoint ignites as Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear facilitiesThe story for the week was initially relatively positive, with the overarching narrative being that the US and China agreed on a trade truce. However, overnight, Israel struck Iran’s nuclear facilities, military sites and killed senior commanders in dozens of strikes. While Israel has attacked Iran before, this is the first time nuclear facilities were...
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