Labour market transition and experiences of unemployed graduates: An exploratory study

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinashe Harry ◽  
Willie Tafadzwa Chinyamurindi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Market Transition ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
High Unemployment ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Successful School ◽  
The Unemployed

Young people in countries such as South Africa are finding it difficult to make a successful school-to-work transition. This is exacerbated by high unemployment and uncertainty in the labour market. The South African government appears to be trying to implement a range of strategies and approaches to try and assist unemployed graduates. However, the onus is also on the graduate to look for ways in dealing with the uncertain labour market. The purpose of this research was to investigate the labour market transition and experiences of unemployed graduates within the context of high unemployment in South Africa. The research utilised an interpretivist philosophy hinging on the qualitative approach, and it used an exploratory research design. Further, a longitudinal technique was employed, tracing over a period of two years the labour market experiences and transitions of a sample of 30 graduates who had been enrolled at a historically disadvantaged higher education institution in South Africa. Data was collected from focus group discussions and unstructured individual interviews over this two-year period. The findings obtained through structural narrative analysis revealed that the labour market transition and experiences of the unemployed graduates were not negative only; some of the graduates had used their own resourceful techniques to deal with challenges. Based on the findings of the research and in view of the uncertain labour market, suggestions were made that would have resonance for not only individuals but also policymakers, career counsellors and institutions of higher learning.

scholarly journals Perceptions of factors that affect employability amongst a sample of final-year students at a rural South African university

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinashe Harry ◽  
Willie T. Chinyamurindi ◽  
Themba Mjoli
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
South African ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Career Guidance ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Exploratory Research

Orientation: The unemployment rate within the South African context is on the rise. Given this, there is a need to understand factors influencing employability amongst a sample of final-year students in preparation for their transit into the labour market. Research purpose: The overall objective of this research was to explore final-year students’ perceptions of factors that affect employability. This was amongst a sample of students that were enrolled at a rural university in South Africa. Motivation for the study: Within graduate employability studies, calls have been made to understand the factors around employability especially within a context of high unemployment. This study allows for an understanding of the journey from higher education into the labour market for previously disadvantaged individuals. Research approach/design and method: An interpretivist, qualitative research approach using an exploratory research design was adopted to explore student perceptions and concerns of employability. Focus-group interviews were used as a data gathering technique amongst 30 final-year students about to exit the university system. Data were recorded, transcribed and processed, and narrative analysis used. Main findings: Through the analysis, a set of six factors were perceived to influence employability: (1) poor socio-economic status, (2) a poor education system, (3) curriculum issues, (4) the choice of higher education institution and (5) social connections to which the student belongs to. Practical/managerial implications: Through the identified factors, career counsellors can better understand their clients and those issues that shape their lived experiences. The findings can also assist the provision of better career guidance services. Contribution/value-add: This study provides an understanding of the complex issues facing potential graduates through lived experiences. It provides an understanding of student perceptions towards employability, which policymakers should consider when addressing the issue of unemployment in the country.

Unemployment in South Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 134-156
Author(s):  
James Heintz ◽  
Karmen Naidoo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Employment Outcomes ◽  
Institutional Factors ◽  
Trade Policies ◽  
Macroeconomic Policies ◽  
Employment Opportunities ◽  
Unemployment Rates ◽  
High Unemployment ◽  
Policy Choices

South Africa has exhibited sustained high rates of open unemployment since the end of apartheid, when reliable statistical measurements became available. The lack of decent employment opportunities contributes to ongoing social and economic inequalities. This chapter examines the reasons behind the country’s high unemployment rates. After a brief analysis of unemployment trends and patterns, it discusses alternative explanations of South Africa’s employment problems, with a focus on structural causes arising from historical and institutional factors. The chapter also examines how policy choices post-apartheid have affected employment outcomes, including macroeconomic policies, trade policies, and labour market policies.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Underemployment among Young Graduates: The Case of a Higher Education Institution in South Africa

Economies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 196
Author(s):  
Daniel Francois Meyer ◽  
Precious Mncayi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
South African ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Complete Measurement

Labour markets have undergone vast transformations over the last few years. There are arguments that employment and unemployment measures have not been adequate in understanding the complexities of labour markets. Research on labour underutilisation has focused on one side of the spectrum, which is just about the scarcity of jobs. However, there is more to the labour market than just scarcity of jobs, and many researchers believe unemployment is not a complete measurement of unused labour capacity, which is why this study aimed to investigate the existence of underemployment from the perceptions of young graduates themselves. In this regard, the definition of young people entailed those younger than 35 years as officially defined in South Africa. The study employed a primary data method of data collection in which an online survey was used to collect the necessary data from the alumni database of a South African university. The study used binary logistic regression to determine factors that contributed to or influenced underemployment status. The main findings indicated that underemployment was rife according to age, where younger graduates (20–29 years) were more likely to be underemployed compared to their more mature counterparts; that is, those in the 30–34 age category, with non-White graduates most likely to encounter underemployment compared to their counterparts. This study resulted in important findings that carry significant policy implications and recommendations that may be crucial in correcting the current employment mismatches in the South African graduate labour market.

Social Assistance and Dependency in South Africa: An Analysis of Attitudes to Paid Work and Social Grants

2010 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
REBECCA SURENDER ◽  
MICHAEL NOBLE ◽  
GEMMA WRIGHT ◽  
PHAKAMA NTSHONGWANA
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Work Motivation ◽  
Social Assistance ◽  
Unintended Effects ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Paid Employment ◽  
Barriers To Employment ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractDespite the absence of an unemployment grant in South Africa, there is growing concern that other social assistance provision might nevertheless weaken work motivation and create a ‘dependency culture’. This study explores attitudes about the relationship between grant receipt and paid employment in South Africa. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, it examines whether there is evidence of a ‘dependency culture’, the nature and strength of labour market attachment among grant recipients, and the opportunities and barriers to employment they face.We found that both those in and out of work placed a high value on paid employment. Joblessness had not become ‘normalised’, and all categories of the workless were extremely motivated to get work. Grant recipients did not subscribe to a distinctive culture but to mainstream values and aspirations. While some benefit claimants subscribed to popularly promoted prejudices about other social assistance claimants, our findings appear to counter recent concerns about potential unintended effects of the current grant system. The key factors in reducing people's chances of finding employment seem linked to the structural conditions of the labour market and the wider economy rather than the motivational characteristics of the unemployed and the arrangements of the grant system.

Patients’ Perceptions of Caring and Uncaring Nursing Encounters in Inpatient Rehabilitation Settings

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan C Cheruiyot ◽  
Petra Brysiewicz
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Inpatient Rehabilitation ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
The Self ◽  
Personal Relationships ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Textual Data ◽  
Interview Guide ◽  
Being There

This study explores and describes caring and uncaring nursing encounters from the perspective of the patients admitted to inpatient rehabilitation settings in South Africa. The researchers used an exploratory descriptive design. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data through individual interviews with 17 rehabilitation patients. Content analysis allowed for the analysis of textual data. Five categories of nursing encounters emerged from the analysis: noticing and acting, and being there for you emerged as categories of caring nursing encounters, and being ignored, being a burden, and deliberate punishment emerged as categories of uncaring nursing encounters. Caring nursing encounters make patients feel important and that they are not alone in the rehabilitation journey, while uncaring nursing encounters makes the patients feel unimportant and troublesome to the nurses. Caring nursing encounters give nurses an opportunity to notice and acknowledge the existence of vulnerability in the patients and encourage them to be present at that moment, leading to empowerment. Uncaring nursing encounters result in patients feeling devalued and depersonalised, leading to discouragement. It is recommended that nurses strive to develop personal relationships that promote successful nursing encounters. Further, nurses must strive to minimise the patients’ feelings of guilt and suffering, and to make use of tools, for example the self-perceived scale, to measure this. Nurses must also perform role plays on how to handle difficult patients such as confused, demanding and rude patients in the rehabilitation settings.

CHALLENGES TO BUILDING AUTHENTIC PARTNERSHIPS: LESSONS FROM BHAMBAYI, KWAZULU-NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanusha Raniga ◽  
Barbara Simpson ◽  
Ntokozo Mthembu
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Informal Settlement ◽  
Mutual Trust ◽  
Open Communication ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Qualitative Phase

In contemporary South Africa, partnerships between service providers in government, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and community based organisations have been identified as a means to strengthen communities and the sustainability of social services. However, the unequal power relations that exists between and within these organisations often leads to fragmentation, duplication, and lack of coordination of social services. Using Fowler’s (1998) conceptualisation of authentic partnerships, this qualitative phase of a larger study explored the challenges of building authentic partnerships in Bhambayi, a predominantly informal settlement in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Individual interviews and a focus group held with nine service providers revealed that intraorganisational challenges, cross-boundary and inter-organisational relations as well as political influences were obstacles to the development of authentic partnerships. The article suggests that open communication, clarity of roles and mutual trust between service providers is vital.

Exploring gender digital divide and its effect on women's labour market outcomes in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 85-108
Author(s):  
Kehinde Oluwaseun Omotoso ◽  
Jimi Adesina ◽  
Ololade G. Adewole
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Married Women ◽  
Internet Usage ◽  
Market Participation ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Broadband Internet ◽  
Variable Approach ◽  
Labour Market Participation ◽  
Labour Market Outcomes

Technology plays a significant role in bridging gender gap in labour market outcomes. This paper investigates gender differential in broadband Internet usage and its effects on women‘s labour market participation. Employing an instrumental variable approach, findings suggest that exogenously determined high-speed broadband internet usage leads to increases of about 14.1 and 10.6 percentage points in labour market participation for single women and married women with some level of education, respectively. Moreover, further analyses suggest that married women are generally less likely to use the Internet to search for job opportunities and this could partly explains their low labour market participation rate. The findings suggest that more policy effort is required to bridge gender differentials in digital technologies and employment opportunities in South Africa.

Accelerating the implementation of SDG 4: stakeholder perceptions towards initiation of sustainable community engagement projects by higher education institutions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lombuso Precious Shabalala ◽  
Sisa Ngcwangu
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Stakeholder Perceptions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Community

Purpose This paper aims to present the results of an investigation on how a reciprocal relationship between the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) in South Africa and the surrounding communities can be used to accelerate the implementation of sustainable development goal 4 (SDG 4). The aim of this paper is to establish stakeholder perceptions on the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the development and implementation of sustainable community engagement (CE) projects geared towards the acceleration of SDG 4. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative methodology was adopted. This consisted of a presentation at UMP, an educational tour of the campus and discussion sessions with 3 education officials and 19 high schools representatives from Ehlanzeni District Municipality, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Content and narrative analysis were used to analyse the data obtained during the discussions. Findings The key findings indicate that a reciprocal relationship between HEIs and their surrounding communities can be used to accelerate the implementation of SDG 4 by positioning HEIs to take the lead with initiatives and implementation of CE projects. Research limitations/implications For HEIs to be in a better position to take a leading role in CE, they must guide without imposing, else it may lead to stakeholders losing interest. Practical implications The importance of a mutual working relationship between HEIs and communities becomes paramount, as it may lead to the realisation and acceleration of SDG 4 through CE. It is suggested that HEIs prioritise CE and also involve communities from the conceptualisation of any project. Originality/value The paper raises awareness and demonstrates the importance and possibilities of using CE towards the acceleration of the implementation of SDG 4 by HEIs.

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