The data from Wave 1 of NIDS-CRAM showed that women were disproportionately affected by the Covid- 19 crisis and the first month of the lockdown period in South Africa. Not only were they much more likely than men to lose their jobs between February and April or to work fewer hours compared to the pre-crisis period, they also took on a greater share of the additional childcare as a result of school closures and the suspension of all childcare services. In this policy paper, we use Wave 2 of NIDS-CRAM to explore how women and men have fared as the economy started to reopen and lockdown restrictions were relaxed.
A major focus of RESEP labour research is to produce robust quantitative analysis on issues of unemployment and (minimum) wages, the teaching profession, and labour market decision making.
Working Papers: Labour
This paper presents new evidence on the employment effects of a large increase in agricultural minimum wages in South Africa using anonymized tax data.
Sectoral minimum wages in South Africa: disemployment by firm size and trade exposure
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No.WP19/2018This paper measures the impact of South African minimum wages on small and large firm employment in a sector that is exposed to international competition (agriculture) and one that is not (retail).
Bridging the intention-behavior gap? The effect of plan-making prompts on job search and employment
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP11/2018We test the effects of plan-making on job search and employment. In a field experiment with unemployed youths, participants who complete a detailed job search plan increase the number of job applications submitted (15%) but not the time spent searching, consistent with intention-behavior gaps observed at baseline.
Bargaining to work: the effect of female autonomy on female labour supply
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP04/2018Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP04/2018 Publication date: March 2018 Abstract: Female labour supply is an important outcome for measuring gender equality and is therefore…
Migration and gender in South Africa: following bright lights and the fortunes of others?
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP09/2017Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP09/2017 Publication date: September 2017 Abstract: Internal migration in South Africa has a strong gender dimension. Historically, the apartheid-era migrant…
The value of reference letters
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP06/2017Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP06/2017 Publication date: June 2017 Abstract: We show that reference letters from former employers alleviate information asymmetries about workers’ skills…
Institutional wage-setting, labour demand and labour supply: causal estimates from a South African pseudo-panel
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP07/2016Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP07/2016 Abstract: Unemployment in South Africa has been attributed to multiple causes. Wages have grown faster than productivity to reduce…
Wage flexibility in a high unemployment regime: spatial heterogeneity and the size of local labour markets
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP09/2016Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP09/2016 Abstract: Whereas some previous microeconometric evidence suggests that wage setters in South Africa are highly responsive to external local…
Changing Patterns of South African income distribution: Towards time series estimates of distribution and poverty
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP02/2003Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP02/2003 Abstract: Research on income distribution in South Africa has, for obvious reasons, focused on inter-racial (inter-group) income distribution. Quite…
Returns to Race: Labour Market Discrimination in Post-Apartheid South Africa
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP04/2006Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP04/2006 Abstract: This paper empirically assesses the impact of post-1994 policy making on racial discrimination in the South African labour…
Earnings bracket obstacles in household surveys – How sharp are the tools in the shed?
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP08/2006Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP08/2006 Abstract: Earnings functions form the basis of numerous labour market analyses. Non-response (particularly among higher earners) may, however, lead…
Wage trends in post-apartheid South Africa: Constructing an earnings series from household survey data
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP10/2006Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP10/2006 Abstract: This paper examines South African wage earnings trends using all the available post-1994 household survey datasets. This allows…
The comparability of the Statistics South Africa October Household Surveys and Labour Force Surveys
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP17/2007Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP17/2007 Abstract: Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has been collecting labour market data with household surveys and in a fairly…
The South African informal sector (1997 – 2006)
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP03/2008Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP03/2008 Abstract: According to the 2006 September Labour Force Survey, approximately 22% of the employed (excluding domestic workers and agricultural…
The South African labour market: 1995 – 2006
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP05/2008Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP05/2008 Abstract: Given the importance of the labour market to economic activity in any country, it is important to correctly…
Post-Apartheid Trends in Gender Discrimination in South Africa: Analysis through Decomposition Techniques
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP06/2008Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP06/2008 Abstract: Using appropriate econometric methods and 11 representative household surveys, this paper empirically assesses the extent and evolution of…
Sample selection bias and the South African wage function
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP18/2008Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP18/2008 Abstract: Conventional wage analyses suffers from a debilitating ailment: since there are no observable market wages for individuals who…
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP21/2008 Abstract: Before the introduction of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) in 2008, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has…
The comparability of Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS)
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP08/2009Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP08/2009 Abstract: Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has been collecting labour market data since 1993 with the October Household Survey…