South Africa

6-October-2023

English

Transitions to and from formal employment and income dynamics - Evidence from developing economies

Using panel data for Indonesia, Malawi, Peru and South Africa, this paper investigates the relationship between transitions to formal employment and workers’ labour income. It shows that transiting from informal to formal employment increases the probability of improving workers’ labour income in both absolute and relative terms. However, income gains from formalisation do not accrue to all workers equally. Switching to formal employment has the greatest potential to improve the labour income of the richest workers. The chances of improving the labour income of the poorest workers through formalisation are slim. Transitions between formal and informal employment affect income gains and losses differently for men and women, older and younger workers, and workers with different levels of schooling. The effects of labour market transitions on income changes are considerably greater in magnitude than other life events such as a births, separation, or death of a partner or spouse.

26-May-2021

English

Financing the extension of social insurance to informal economy workers - The role of remittances

Informal employment, defined through the lack of employment-based social protection, constitutes the bulk of employment in developing countries, and entails a level of vulnerability to poverty and other risks that are borne by all who are dependent on informal work income. Results from the Key Indicators of Informality based on Individuals and their Households database (KIIbIH) show that a disproportionately large number of middle‑class informal economy workers receive remittances. Such results confirm that risk management strategies, such as migration, play a part in minimising the potential risks of informal work for middle‑class informal households who may not be eligible to social assistance. They further suggest that middle‑class informal workers may have a solvent demand for social insurance so that, if informality-robust social insurance schemes were made available to them, remittances could potentially be channelled to finance the extension of social insurance to the informal economy.

21-February-2013

English

Education quality and labour market outcomes in South Africa

In this paper we include measures of school quality in regressions determining the labour market premiums to education level.

21-February-2013

English

Educational attainment and labour market outcomes in South Africa, 1994-2010

In this paper we document the impact of education levels on labour market outcomes from 1994 to 2010 using national household survey data.

9-November-2010

English, , 1,066kb

Position Paper: Tackling Inequalities in Brazil, China, India and South Africa

This note presents main issues on the role of growth and employment/unemployment developments in explaining recent income inequality trends in Brazil, China, India and South Africa, and discusses the roles played by labour market and social policies in shaping and addressing these inequalities.

25-October-2010

English

Tackling Inequalities in Brazil, China, India and South Africa : The Role of Labour Market and Social Policies

Greater integration into the world economy and important policy reforms have resulted in Brazil, China, India and South Africa becoming major actors in the globalisation process, with impressive results in terms of economic growth, social development and poverty reduction. But the benefits of stronger growth have not always been shared equally and income inequality has remained at very high levels.

19-March-2010

English

Long-term growth and policy challenges in the large emerging economies

This paper uses the OECD’s Going for Growth framework, as well as other available evidence linking policies to economic performance, to identify key structural policy challenges in the BIICS for the years ahead.

20-January-2010

English

Trends in South African Income Distribution and Poverty since the Fall of Apartheid (Social, Employment and Migration Working Paper No. 101)

This report presents a detailed analysis of changes in poverty and inequality since the fall of Apartheid, and the potential drivers of such developments. National survey data used show that South Africa’s high aggregate level of income inequality increased between 1993 and 2008...

27-January-2009

English

Realising South Africa’s employment potential

Unemployment in South Africa is extremely high and unevenly distributed, being concentrated among young less skilled blacks.