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Employed too scared to quit their jobs

Johannesburg - South Africans with employment are reluctant to change jobs out of fear that, in their new jobs, they would be vulnerable to dismissal, according to Loane Sharp, Adcorp’s labour economist.

Since the 2009 global financial crisis, the rate of dismissals in South Afria has reached 2.38m per quarter.

The latest Adcorp Employment Index reports a sharp fall in employment during July.

The economy shed 37 288 jobs during the month, which is the third-worst monthly performance since the 2009 global financial crisis.

The dismissal cycle has a distinct economic rhythm, and monetary policy could be doing more to stimulate the economy and improve the labour market’s performance, according to Sharp.
 
Jobs were shed in both permanent and temporary or non-permanent positions amounting to job losses of 26 189 and 11 559 respectively.

Since January 2013, the formal sector has shed 146 638 jobs whereas the informal sector has created 42 906 jobs.

Losses were observed in manufacturing, transport, construction and financial services, amounting to 18 000 job losses between them.
 
“The labour market’s performance is likely to have a significant effect on the 2014 general election. At present, 17.6% of the national workforce is involuntarily dismissed each quarter," said Sharp.

"It is a South African strength that mobility in the labour market is high and that most of those who are dismissed find alternative work."

However, the dismissal and resignation rates create a pervasive sense of insecurity and vulnerability among the country’s 13.5 million workers.

"This does not bode well for the ruling party’s performance in next year’s election," said Sharp.
 
Within labour market cycles, two of the most important barometers of labour market performance are the number of dismissals and the number of resignations.

The important distinction between dismissals and resignations is that dismissals are involuntary whereas resignations are voluntary.
 
“In a high-performing labour market, the number of dismissals is relatively low as the demand for labour is relatively high. Then the number of resignations is relatively high since job-seekers feel secure in moving from one job to another,” Sharp explained.
 
South African Reserve Bank Governor Gill Marcus recently indicated that labour market reforms are necessary to boost employment.
 
“While this is undoubtedly true, Governor Marcus’ statement was presumably intended to quell the argument from some quarters that the Reserve Bank could be doing more to stimulate employment," said Sharp.

"By stating that South Africa’s unemployment problems are structural rather than cyclical, Governor Marcus must have intended to signal to detractors that monetary policy cannot, and will not, be used to stimulate job creation."
 
In contrast to dismissals, the resignation cycle is an important guide to the level of security job-seekers feel when moving voluntarily from one job to another.

From a peak of 763 000 resignations per quarter in 2008, the resignation cycle has reached a low point of 466 000 resignations per quarter in 2013.

- Fin24

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