Labour Market Reform and the Evolution of the Racial Wage Hierarchy in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Paul Allanson and Jonathan Atkins ()
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Jonathan Atkins: University of Dundee

Working Papers from University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit

Abstract: The central theme of this working paper is the way that the racial wage hierarchy evolved in South Africa over the period 1993 to 1999 amongst full-time regular employees of normal working age, but excluding those in the primary sector and the defence forces. We find that the transition to democratic rule in 1994 was accompanied by an improvement in the wage position of the majority African workforce relative to all other racial groups, but that these gains were not fully preserved through the latter half of the decade. The persistence of racial wage differences following the repeal of all overt discriminatory laws and regulations points to the need for concerted policy interventions to reverse the legacy of apartheid. We review the range of policy initiatives that have been taken by the South African Government since 1994 in the light of our empirical findings.

Keywords: South; Africa:; racial; wage; differences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 19 pages
Date: 2001-12
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published in Working Paper Series by the Development Policy Research Unit, December 2001, pages 1-19

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http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7209 First version, 2001 (application/pdf)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ctw:wpaper:01059

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