Transport
Date
2009
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
HSRC Press
Abstract
The current infrastructure crisis in South Africa receives a lot of attention, but
consideration should be given to the fact that the country’s labour related production
factors are in much worse shape than infrastructure. The deficiencies in transport
infrastructure are also understated, especially when compared to the much more
visible energy crisis. Combining these two issues means that an analysis of the
transport, storage and communication industry (“TSC”) is important and should be
carefully considered.
Information on the industry is scarce and employment data for the industry
incorrectly constructed. The various utilities of transport, telecommunications and
postal services are unrelated in terms of output or utility that it provides and within
transport, unrelated in terms of output as far as freight and passenger transport are
concerned. In spite of this, these groups are often aggregated in reporting, which
means that in-depth analysis, even based on statistics such as large sample
surveys, is difficult or impossible.
Total formal employment in the industry dipped towards the end of the millennium,
but has since picked up, though not yet to the same levels as 1995. Postal
employment is in decline, and even telecommunication employment is lowering –
probably because of automation. Transport employment grows, but passenger
transport is becoming more and more inefficient, where information is the scarcest
and where a sizeable portion of informal employment is noticed. In fact, the informal
employment in this subsector alone is estimated to equal the total formal TSC
employment. Freight transport employment is efficient, and is especially becoming
more and more efficient for rail as a large mode switch over the next 20 years to rail
is expected, both for freight and passengers. This switch will be challenging, as
operational employees will be impacted most, with this being the category where the
lowest levels of skills, the highest shortages and most employment related ancillary
problems, such as work satisfaction issues, are found. New and significantly more
engineering skills are required at a time when the skills are in relative decline and
where new engineering integration will be needed, not only between disciplines, but
also forward and backward in the value chain.
Accountability for these issues is unclear. The expected shifts are, in themselves, not
managed on a national level and no integrative thinking between infrastructure
owners and operators has yet been established. The creation of a national forum,
with statutory participation, would at the very least, be an important first step.
Description
The original book is available at http://www.hsrcpress.ac.za
Keywords
Transport industry -- Employment -- South Africa, Telecommunication -- Employment -- South Africa, Transport infrastructure -- South Africa
Citation
Havenga, J. 2009. Transport, in Kraak, A. (ed), Sectors and skills : the need for policy alignment, pp. 174-197, http://www.hsrcpress.ac.za/product.php?productid=2256&cat=7&page=3