Understanding and Characterizing the Services Sector in South Africa
Year: 2018
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: One core economic challenge facing a developing country is its ability to structurally transform in a manner that generates higher levels of economic growth and employment absorption in the long run. Whilst such a question has often led into a detailed analysis of the role of the secondary sector generally, and manufacturing in particular, this chapter considers the growth and employment potential of the services sector in South Africa. First, there are a set of high-productivity skill-intensive industries in finance, business, communication, and in some cases retail services, which offer export potential—primarily via investment into international markets. Second, there are simultaneously a number of low-productivity industries with lower skill requirements found in informal retail and temporary employment services (TES). Third, tourism offers the potential to be an export-orientated industry with relatively low skill requirements.
Authors: Haroon Bhorat, Christopher Rooney, François Steenkamp
Language: English
Topic: Economic Theory and Policy
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W2606790973