Adcorp report reveals full extent of casualisation
The headlines on media reports of the release of Adcorp Holdings monthly employment index for March 2011 suggested that at last we have some good news about jobs, reporting their claim that total employment grew 5,6% last month, the highest in one month for more than two-and-a-half years.
According to Adcorp CEO, Richard Pike, "all sectors, occupations and employment types recorded positive growth."
However the report, published by this ‘staffing and outsourcing' (read ‘labour broking') group, contained evidence which confirms COSATU's worst fears about the nature of jobs in South Africa (see here).
It revealed that "since January 2000, traditional permanent employment declined by 20, 9% and temporary, contract and other forms of ‘atypical' employment increased by 64, 1%. Respectively, these percentages translate to 1, 9 million and 2.4 million people."
This suggests that far from exaggerating the extent of the casualisation of labour, COSATU has been underestimating the rate at which firms in South Africa have been converting from full-time and permanent employment to contract and part-time employment.