Employment creation in construction in South Africa: The potential and the problems
Date
1992-02-24
Authors
McCutcheon, Rob
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Abstract
Unemployment is one of South Africa's most pressing problems. Various
solutions to this problem have been proposed. Elsewhere in Africa
employment creation programmes have been established within the public
sector; in particular, rural roads have been constructed and maintained by labour-intensive methods. Per unit of expenditure labour-intensive methods create significantly more employment than conventional methods of construction. Labour-intensive methods are economically efficient and result in as high a standard of construction as the level of funding will allow... Following a summary of the main tenets of labour-intensive
construction and a brief description of progress elsewhere in Africa, this paper outlines the potential contribution which employment creation programmes could make to alleviating the unemployment problem and a strategy for achieving results. The paper then describes the problems that have been experienced or observed in South Africa in relation to employment creation construction projects. This highlights various issues which require attention. Evidence from the discussion of the problem areas will then be used to criticise two current projects that claim to be using labour-intensive methods. The paper closes with some recommendations for the future. Throughout the paper there are aspects which require research to attain greater clarity.
Description
African Studies Seminar series. Paper presented 24 February 1992
Keywords
Job creation. South Africa, Construction industry. South Africa, Manpower policy. South Africa