Services-led growth in the context of de-industrialization: Opportunities for structural transformation and job creation in South Africa

Zaakir Asmal () and Christopher Rooney ()
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Zaakir Asmal: Human Sciences Research Council
Christopher Rooney: Independent

No 327, ERSA Working Paper Series from Economic Research Southern Africa

Abstract: South Africa’s persistent unemployment crisis, with the unemployment rate reaching 32.0 percent in 2024, has intensified debates about viable pathways for structural transformation, following the sustained decline of the manufacturing sector. This paper investigates whether services-led growth can replace the role of manufacturing and identifies which services subsectors hold the greatest potential for productivity enhancement and employment creation.

Keywords: Structural transformation; services-led growth; deindustrialisation; labour productivity; South Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J21 L52 O14 O47 O55 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 55 pages
Date: 2026-05
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Published in ERSA Working Paper Series, May 2026, pages 55

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rza:ersawp:327

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