Reports
Discussion Papers
No.140 The Changing Nature of Employment and the Reform of Labor and Social Security Legislation in Post-Apartheid South Africa
March 2008
ABSTRACT
This
paper
tries
to
understand
the
current
status
of
South
African
labor
market,
which
is
changing
in
contradictory
directions,
i.e.
a
strengthening
of
the
rights
and
protection
of
workers
at
the
same
time
as
the
flexibilization
of
employment,
in
the
context
of
the
characteristics
of
labor
and
social
security
legislation
in
South
Africa,
as
well
as
the
nature
of
labor
and
social
security
reforms
after
democratization.
We
put
emphasis
on
the
corporatist
nature
of
labor
policy-making
as
the
factor
influencing
the
course
of
reforms;
it
is
argued
that
the
apparently
contradictive
changes
can
be
explained
consistently
by
the
corporatist
labor
policy-making
process
which
has
been
practiced
notwithstanding
the
problem
of
representativeness.
Keywords:
South
Africa,
labor
market,
social
security,
corporatism
JEL
classification:
I38,
J21,
J30,
J50,
J65
Please note that discussion papers are works in various stages of progress and most have not been edited and proofread and may contain errors of fact or judgment. Revised versions of these papers may subsequently appear in more formal publication series. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s). The IDE does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included and accepts no responsibility for any consequences arising from its use.