SECTOR STRATEGIES FOR EMPLOYMENT CREATION

The policy brief argues that South Africa has experienced premature deindustrialisation, with manufacturing's GDP contribution falling from 21% in 1994 to 13% in 2016. To reverse this, the Institute for Economic Justice recommends strategic interventions in three key areas: the machinery and equipment sector through a regional SADC strategy to create approximately 270,000 total jobs; the fruit industry by addressing phytosanitary constraints and expanding high-value exports (e.g., avocados) to create 130,000 jobs by 2022; and the plastics conversion industry through the establishment of light manufacturing clusters and raw material price regulation to potentially add over 40,000 jobs by 2024.

• South Africa has undergone premature deindustrialisation, evidenced by the manufacturing sector's contribution to GDP dropping from 21% in 1994 to 13% in 2016, resulting in a net loss of 237,413 jobs during that period.
• The machinery and equipment sector can drive significant employment if a regional strategy is implemented to meet SADC demand. Such interventions could create 45,000 direct jobs and approximately 270,000 total jobs by 2023, while improving the trade balance from a $5 billion deficit to $3.5 billion.
• The fruit industry has the potential to create 130,000 additional jobs by 2022 if production increases by 44% (from 7 million tonnes in 2016 to 10.1 million tonnes). This requires overcoming phytosanitary constraints and leveraging high-value fruits like avocados, which saw global demand grow by 14% annually between 2012 and 2017.
• The plastics conversion industry has shed 16,163 jobs between 2002 and 2016. Proposed recovery measures include setting up light manufacturing clusters, regulating polymer prices via NERSA/DOE and mining licence conditions, and removing the 10% duty on perspex. If the industry grew at a 6% CAGR, it could increase employment by over 40,000 by 2024.

APA

Mondliwa, P., & Bell, J. (2018). SECTOR STRATEGIES FOR EMPLOYMENT CREATION. Institute for Economic Justice. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Stream-1-Policy-Brief-5-Sector-Strategies-for-Employment-Creation.pdf

Chicago

Mondliwa, Pamela, and Jason Bell. SECTOR STRATEGIES FOR EMPLOYMENT CREATION. Institute for Economic Justice, 2018. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Stream-1-Policy-Brief-5-Sector-Strategies-for-Employment-Creation.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mondliwa |first1=Pamela |last2=Bell |first2=Jason |title=SECTOR STRATEGIES FOR EMPLOYMENT CREATION |publisher=Institute for Economic Justice |date=August 2018 |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Stream-1-Policy-Brief-5-Sector-Strategies-for-Employment-Creation.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mondliwa2018sector, author = {Mondliwa, Pamela and Bell, Jason}, title = {{SECTOR STRATEGIES FOR EMPLOYMENT CREATION}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2018}, month = aug, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Stream-1-Policy-Brief-5-Sector-Strategies-for-Employment-Creation.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }