The Effect of the Global Economic Recession on the South African Labour Market

Unlike most other countries in Africa, South Africa has historically been a significant player in international markets. Given this global economic engagement, South Africa felt the effects of the global recession both quickly and deeply when some of the major markets in the world were struck by the economic meltdown in 2008. Major sectors within the South African economy began to retrench employees thus testing the efficiency of the South African retrenchment laws. This paper highlights the impact of recession within the South African labour market and assesses how the government responded to these phenomena. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p380