JOBS FUND WEBINAR: SUPPLY-SIDE ECONOMICS OF A GOOD TYPE: SUPPORTING AND EXPANDING SOUTH AFRICA’S INFORMAL ECONOMY

South Africa’s inordinately high unemployment rates could, in part, be explained by a level of informal sector activity that is abnormally low when looked at relative to its peers. If the ratio of South Africa’s informal sector employment was closer to that of peer developing countries, South Africa’s total unemployment rate would be considerably lower.

The research makes a case for an approach to the informal sector that is appreciative of the sizeable role it could play in providing employment opportunities in a constrained economy. Reasons that could potentially explain South Africa’s low informal sector activity in the face of such high levels of unemployment are examined, and policy options that may be able to encourage greater informal sector activity are explored.

SPEAKER:

Prof. Haroon Bhorat

Prof. Haroon Bhorat is a Professor of Economics and Director of the Development Policy Research Unit at the University of Cape Town. Prof. Bhorat holds a PhD in Economics through Stellenbosch University, having also studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as being a Cornell University research fellow.

FACILITATOR:

Najwah Allie-Edries (Deputy Director General: Employment Facilitation)

Najwah heads up the Project Management Office of the South African National Treasury’s R9-billion Jobs Fund.

WEBINAR DETAILS: