Alternative Perspectives on amending Labour Laws and Promoting Growth

World Economic Forum - Davos 2011 Post-Crisis Reality Requires New Social Contract (28 January 2011)

Post-Crisis Reality Requires New Social Contract World Economic Forum-Post-Crisis Reality Requires New Social Contract

South Africa

Alternate voices and perspectives

• EconPapers- Regulating Flexibility and Small Business- Revisiting ... By André van Niekerk; Abstract: This paper is a response, from a business perspective, to Halton Cheadle's concept paper.

• This paper examines issues such as the exemptions clause, hiring and firing procedures, bargaining councils and so on, and the extent to which they may inhibit the growth of the SME sector. Regulated Flexibility and Small Business: Revisiting the LRA & the BCEA  DPRU Working Paper 06/109 Halton Cheadle, Professor of Public Law, UCT

• Understanding the Regulatory Environment for Small Business in South Africa

United Kingdom

• Government sets out employment law reforms Number10.gov.uk

• Employer’s Charter aims to dispel many of the myths about what an employer can and can't do in managing their staff reasonably, fairly and lawfully, providing clarity for employers on what steps they can take when handling workplace issues with staff. It covers a wide range of employment law scenarios.

• Resolving workplace disputes - public consultation Consultations BIS Key changes being proposed include an increase in the qualifying period before workers can bring a claim for unfair dismissal from one to two years. This reflects concerns raised by businesses that existing legislation weighed against them when making employment decisions. The Government will also consult on introducing fees for bringing a tribunal claim following concerns that the current system leads to a large number of unmerited or vexatious applications.

• UK Government's final decision on plans to phase out the default retirement age Employment Law Watch

• Working without the default retirement age

Canada

• Unemployment rate +/- 7.6%

Australia

• Fair Work Australia - Federal Legislation workers rights and minimum wage AWA employee rights employee awards employment laws Industrial Relations Law

• Unemployment rate decreased 0.2 pts to 5.0% (Dec 2010)

France

• Unemployment +/- 9.8%

Italy

• Unemployment +/- 8.6%

BRICSA 

• Brazil Unemployment rate — 8.1%

• Russia Unemployment rate — 9.2%

• Unemployment in India is 9.4% (i.e. 40 million)

• Unemployment in China is 4.2% (suspect)

• Unemployment in South Africa — + 25.2%

SADC

• Unemployment in South Africa — + 25.2%

• Unemployment Zimbabwe - unemployment and poverty rates run near 80%

• Unemployment Botswana - Although unemployment was 7.5% in 2007 according to official reports, unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is second highest in the world and threatens Botswana's impressive economic gains. Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966, though growth fell below 5% in 2007-08, and turned sharply negative in 2009, with industry falling nearly 30%. Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of $13,100 in 2010.

Key South African Indicators

• Unemployment in South Africa — + 25.2% (total number of unemployed was 4,3-million for the first quarter of 2010. The number of people not economically active rose by 1 071 000 annually, with 624 000 being discouraged work seekers)

• HIV+  Prevalence = 5.7m = 11% National
• Life Expectancy at birth 47.7 years