Eroding the Core
Flexibility and the Re-Segmentation of the South African Labour Market
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2371646 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bridget Kenny (0000-0002-2283-356X), Edward Webster (0000-0003-2540-3052, Sociology of Work Unit (SWOP) University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg, South Africa) |
| Year | 1998 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 216-243 |
| Publication date | 1998-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Critical Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0896-9205 • E-ISSN: 1569-1632 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/089692059802400304 |
| OpenAlex | W2068578798 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 49 |
| References cited | 14 |
Drawing on two case studies of the growth of casualisation and subcontracting in South Africa, this paper shows how 'flexiwork' is being introduced at the same time as South Africa's first democratically elected government is trying to extend basic core rights and standards to large sectors of the workforce that have in the past been excluded from the core labour regulation regime. This shift by employers towards 'flexiwork', in combination with high unemployment and the legacy of a sharply racially segmented labour market under apartheid, is re-segmenting a dual labour market. An increasingly polarised labour market is emerging, consisting of a growing number of marginalised 'flexiworkers' next to a 'core' workforce of black and white workers who increasingly also feel the threat of insecurity. The use of flexible labour is partly a response to a well-organised labour movement which has won shopfloor rights over the past decade and has succeeded in getting these rights entrenched in law. Although the labour movement has committed itself to organise 'flexiworkers', it is a long way from innovative responses to the challenge of flexibility
Economic growth · Economics · Labour economics · Labour law · Labour market flexibility · Management · Market economy · Market segmentation · Political economy · Unemployment · Workforce · Employment and Welfare Studies · Engineering · Labor Movements and Unions · Legal Issues in South Africa
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Fieldwork Overview
Digital Taylorism
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| Unique citing works | 49 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,88 |
| Citation span | 2000 - 2026 (27) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 43 |