Constraints to employment growth within the South African Automotive Industry
Date
2013-10-10
Authors
Burger, Elsje Emerentia
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The research study set out to understand the factors constraining employment
growth in the South African Automotive industry. This was particularly relevant in
the context of the South African government’s renewed focus on growing
employment, which has been shown to be the single best way to reduce poverty
and increase economic participation by all classes in the South African economy
(Briscoe 2000). As a key manufacturing sector, the South African Automotive
Industry has the potential to drive employment growth, create sustainable, decent
employment opportunities and aid in critical skills transfer and development.
Identifying and classifying the impact of constraints on the industry would provide
valuable guidance to government institutions mandated with growing employment
by supporting this key sector. The information derived from the study would
enable these institutions to prioritise projects and allocate limited resources and
funding to the greatest effect.
The research design was based on collecting in-depth, qualitative data through
semi- structured interviews with selected key decision makers and experts in the
industry. This allowed the researcher the ability to identify any additional
constraints not highlighted in the original literature review, as well as to explore
perceptions and reasoning behind responses provided during the interview.
The study found the impact of key identified factors to be perceived differently for
OEMs and component manufacturers, and the classification of constraints
therefore had to distinguish between these sectors. For OEMs, raw material, as
well as the cost of infrastructure was identified as significant constraints, while
funding, labour skills and regulation were perceived as low constraints due to the
OEM’s ability to leverage assistance from government and its global production
network to mitigate these factors. Government policies and regulation was
highlighted as a supporting factor in creating and sustaining employment.
While raw material and infrastructure cost were also highlighted as significant
constraints for the component manufacturing industry, the industry highlighted
other factors, including export capability and labour skills as additional high impact
ii
constraints to the component industry. Contrary to OEMs, manufacturers viewed
government policy as a constraining factor to employment, especially following
changes made to policies under the MIDP and APDP.
It is clear from the study that the majority of these bottlenecks often constitute
structural constraints that could be addressed through relevant support and
policies. This leaves substantial scope for translating correctly aligned policies and
support into actual employment stability and growth. Identifying and prioritising
these constraints will enable better coordination among government institutions
and better application of limited funding and resources to achieve the greatest
impact on the South African economy.
Description
MBA thesis
Keywords
Employment, Labour relations, Human resources