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Spatiotemporal variation of South African jobless trends: policy directions

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The need to understand the spatiotemporal change in South African unemployment trends underlies this research. The country has undergone significant socioeconomic change since the fall of apartheid in 1994. Not only has the labor market expanded, but unemployment has also increased. This necessitates a detailed spatial understanding to ensure effective policies at the municipal level to address unemployment. A database of unemployment statistics at the municipal level between 1991 and 2007 was created and used to spatially group municipalities. The results showed that metropolitan municipalities had unique unemployment characteristics and, contrary to findings elsewhere, an overall decrease in the dissimilarity between the unemployed and employed took place after 1991. Therefore, policies should promote economic growth and skills development in municipalities where education levels are low.

Source: Human Science Research Council SA

DOI: 10.14749/32383329

Author: Human Sciences Research Council

Language: English

Topic: Local Economic Development and Planning

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Reduced inequalities, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: green

Funder: Human Sciences Research Council

OpenAlex ID: W7162195771

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