All publications: South Africa

E-Waste for Youth Employment in Limpopo

The E-Waste for Youth Employment in Limpopo Province Project, implemented by the ILO with funding from the Government of Japan, promoted decent employment and entrepreneurship for young people, particularly women, through sustainable e-waste...

Research Brief

More and better jobs through trade, the role of responsible business conduct and international labour standards

Trade has the potential to drive economic growth and create more and better jobs. Yet these gains are neither guaranteed nor equally shared. This makes it essential for trade policy to explicitly consider its impact on job quantity and quality, and...

Social dialogue for sustainable trade and investment, the case of South Africa

When social dialogue functions well, it can connect economic and social policy objectives and strengthens cooperation among government, business, and workers' organisations. Helping align trade and foreign direct investment policies with sustainable...

Investor Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct and Decent Work

Investor guidelines on responsible business conduct and decent work can help bridge the gap between host government expectations and investor practice. Investor guidelines are voluntary tools that clarify expectations and identify specific areas...

Comparative study on unemployment benefits to support recommendations for Angola

This comparative study examines unemployment benefit schemes in Brazil, Morocco, Portugal, South Africa and Thailand to inform the potential introduction of unemployment benefits in Angola.

ILO Working Paper 171

The role of national social dialogue institutions in shaping investment policies

This paper examines how national social dialogue institutions can help align foreign direct investment with decent work and sustainable development. Drawing on eleven case studies, it highlights emerging practices, institutional challenges and...

Research Brief

Investment facilitation for more and better jobs

This brief explores how foreign direct investment can support more and better jobs through productivity gains, technology transfer, skills development, enterprise linkages and responsible business conduct, while highlighting the key role of...

Southern African Development Community

SADC Toolkit on mainstreaming decent work and labour productivity in key economic sectors

Research Brief

Measuring the greenness of jobs in emerging economies: A big data text analysis approach

This brief presents a new big data and NLP-based approach to measure how green jobs are in emerging economies using a refined ILO green dictionary. It provides practical evidence on green skills, job quality and wages to inform labour market and...

Productivity ecosystems for decent work in the BRICS

Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work in the BRICS presents a synthesis of national experiences from Brazil, China and South Africa on strengthening the links between productivity growth and decent work. Using the ILO’s Productivity Ecosystems for...

E-Waste for Youth Employment project Japan study tour

ILO Working Paper 153

The return of the visible hand: Social dialogue and the making of 21st-century industrial policy

Industrial policy has returned amid geopolitical rivalry, supply-chain fragility, and contemporary grand transitions, but its performance hinges less on ideology than on governance and design. By examining three comparative cases (Germany, Republic...

Countering illegal footwear and leather imports in South Africa

Mapping harms to industry, jobs and investment

Measuring change: Productivity ecosystems and decent work in practice

Survey results from 2022-24: Productivity, jobs, working conditions and policy in three pilot countries

Guidelines on costing and financing: Recognition of prior learning

Trainer Manual

Labour-Intensive Construction (LIC) Orientation Training Course: Trainer Manual

Learner Manual

Labour-Intensive Construction (LIC) Orientation Training Course: Learner Manual

A learner manual for the Labour-Intensive Construction (LIC) Orientation Training Course, designed to build the knowledge and skills of technical and non-technical officials involved in South Africa’s Expanded Public Works Programme. It supports...

Assessment & Evaluation Guide

Labour-Intensive Construction (LIC) Orientation Training Course: Assessment & Evaluation Guide

Framework Working Group

Artificial intelligence adoption and its impact on jobs

This paper, drawing primarily upon recent and ongoing research at the ILO, suggests a landscape where AI is more likely to augment human capabilities and enhance productivity in many roles rather than leading to widespread automation, although...

Project results

Promoting productivity and decent work in South Africa’s clothing manufacturing industry

In response to the prevailing challenges facing South Africa’s clothing manufacturing industry, the Flanders-funded ILO project aimed to strengthen productivity, and decent work drivers through a systemic approach. This brief summarizes key results...