Labour Market Outcomes of Migrant Populations in South Africa, 2012 and 2017

Princelle Dasappa-Venketsamy, Statistics South Africa

In South Africa, xenophobic violence has been attributed to the perception that immigrants take jobs from natives and are also viewed as competitors for resources. Results from the regression model on predictors of employment, indicate that immigrants are about two times more likely to be employed than internal-migrants and non-movers. However, whilst immigrants are more likely to be employed, they largely participate in employment that cannot be classified as decent work. Decent work is central in efforts to reduce poverty, achieving equitable, inclusive and sustainable development. Irregular migration can be mitigated by labour migration policies and the decent work agenda. The paper illustrates that whilst Sustainable Development Goal 8 and the Global Compact for Migration, highlight the importance of Decent Work, immigrants in South Africa still lag behind. Hence, policy intervention and attention is necessary. Policy development on migrant rights, as well as tackling xenophobia is needed in South Africa.