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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:'Two million net new jobs': a reconsideration of the rise in employment in South Africa, 1995-2003
Authors:Casale, DanielaISNI
Muller, Colette
Posel, DorritISNI
Year:2004
Periodical:South African Journal of Economics
Volume:72
Issue:5
Pages:978-1002
Language:English
Geographic term:South Africa
Subjects:demography
employment
External link:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1813-6982.2004.tb00141.x/pdf
Abstract:The authors evaluate the claim of the South African government that two million net new jobs were created between 1995 and 2003, drawing on the same data sources as those used to generate official estimates on employment. They first assess the validity of this finding, given the problems with measuring employment status consistently across the years using national household survey data. They show that, taken at face value, recorded employment did indeed increase by close to two million jobs over this eight-year period. Even if a sizeable part of this increase is real, however, they explain why it is likely that some portion is the result of changes in definitions and data capture. They argue further that in evaluating the government's claim of job creation there are other factors, beyond the verification of statistics, which need to be highlighted for a more complete picture of labour market trends in South Africa. Three factors are explored: the types of employment that have increased; the magnitude of the employment increase in relation to the growth in labour supply; and the changes in earnings that have accompanied the rise in employment. The authors conclude that claims of rising employment in South Africa cannot be assessed in isolation from a significantly larger rise in unemployment, the growth particularly of informal sector self-employment, and declining average real earnings chiefly among Africans. Bibliogr., notes, ref. [ASC Leiden abstract]
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