Southern Africa Labour & Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town

27/10/2025

Join us at UCT for our 2-day December Workshop (8-9 Dec) co-hosted with Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA), discussing frontier research in applied economics for developing countries!

After receiving over 200 research paper submissions, we are very excited to confirm our programme.

Two keynote presentations: Taryn Dinkelman and Joseph Kaboski

12 full-paper presentations, from:
Yonas Alem (UCT)
Rikhia Bhukta (IIT Kanpur)
Fadzayi Chingwere (University of Pretoria)
Rowan Clarke (Harvard)
Johan Fourie (Stellenbosch)
Robert Garlick (Duke University)
Tchapo Gbandi (University of Lomé)
Jonas Hjort (University College London)
Andrew Kerr (UCT)
Adeola Oyenubi (PhD) (University of the Witwatersrand)
Jun Wong (University of Chicago)
Kristen (Dilan) Yang (Oxford)

And two quick-fire local PhD student panels.

Registration to attend is essential (in-person attendance only). Please do so at this link: https://econrsa.org/events/the-ersa-saldru-december-workshop-frontiers-in-applied-economics-for-developing-countries/

For more information, please see our webpage: https://saldru.uct.ac.za/articles/2025-10-22-saldru-ersa-december-workshop-2025

22/08/2025

[REMINDER]: CALL FOR PAPERS: SALDRU-ERSA DECEMBER WORKSHOP 2025

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 1 September 2025

On 8 and 9 December 2025, in partnership with Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA), we will be hosting the next iteration of the annual December Workshop: Frontiers in Applied Economics for Developing Countries.

The purpose of this workshop is to bring together academics, policymakers, and subject-matter experts to present and discuss frontier research in applied economics relevant to developing countries. We will have two keynote speakers: Joe Kaboski and Taryn Dinkelman.

Paper submission deadline: 1 September 2025

There are no strict subject matter restrictions, but we particularly encourage submissions focusing on Southern Africa, Africa, and other developing regions, in the fields of Labour Economics, Development Economics, and other areas of Applied Microeconomics.

Learn more and submit your papers here: https://econrsa.org/events/the-ersa-saldru-december-workshop-frontiers-in-applied-economics-for-developing-countries/

13/08/2025

Join us today for the first (hybrid) seminar in our series, with the African Centre of Excellence for Inequality Research, on African inequalities as discussed in the book "Inequalities in sub-Saharan Africa. Multidimensional perspectives and future challenges" published earlier this year. Vimal Ranchhod from the ACEIR South Africa research node will be discussing inequalities in human capital and labour market outcomes.

🪘 This week sees the first hybrid seminar in our series on African inequalities as discussed in the book "Inequalities in sub-Saharan Africa: Multidimensional perspectives and future challenges" published earlier this year.

🎤 Vimal Ranchhod from the ACEIR South Africa research node will be discussing inequalities in human capital and labour market outcomes. He will present key research findings related to human capital and the labour market, and then reflect on what the important next steps might be, both from a research perspective and a policy perspective.

📆 Wednesday, 13 August
⏲️ 1-2 pm CAT
✍️ to join online https://bit.ly/45HZVZT

📊 Vimal's presentation draws on two chapters in "Inequalities in sub-Saharan Africa", a publication that was informed by research collaborations with the AFD - Agence Française de Développement. The book spans many dimensions of socio-economic inequalities and also includes chapters on policies and ways to address inequalities in the context of Africa. It was published by the World Bank and the AFD with the aim to shape global discussions and discourses on Africa’s inequality challenges.

The seminar series is hosted jointly with Southern Africa Labour & Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town at University of Cape Town.

01/07/2025

[READ]: Youth unemployment and the search for meaningful pathways to employment

A lot of debate is taking place about South Africa’s unemployment statistics at the moment. While it is good to critically question what we see in the numbers, debates such as these may not be the most useful when trying to think through what can be done differently to better support people’s endeavours to create sustainable livelihoods for themselves. In the lead article for this month's SALDRU Newsletter, Ariane De Lannoy reflects on what the Quarterly Labour Force Survey Data tells us about young people who remain disconnected from education and employment, and how these findings relate to the narratives of young people and their lived realities. She also writes about the contribution that the Basic Package of Support has made in informing solutions to these issues.

https://saldru.uct.ac.za/articles/2025-06-27-youth-unemployment-and-search-meaningful-pathways-employment

13/06/2025

Join us for a Youth Month Webinar Series co-hosted with the Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA)! We invite you to a webinar series exploring critical issues facing South Africa’s youth, with a focus on youth unemployment and pathways to inclusion.

We already hosted our first webinar, on understanding the NEET situation in South Africa earlier this week. Join us for our next two!

🔵 Webinar 2
The Importance of an Integrated Approach to Youth Employment: Lessons from the Basic Package of Support for NEET Youth
Tuesday 17 June 2025 | 14h30 – 16h00
REGISTER: 6b9a5602-f51a-4281-8e2e-3c88f0cd9c6a@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/6b9a5602-f51a-4281-8e2e-3c88f0cd9c6a@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045

🔵 Webinar 3
Should Labour Market Regulations Be Relaxed to Promote Youth Employment?
Tuesday 24 June 2025 | 14h30 – 16h00
REGISTER: b260385e-3876-4df0-a1c7-9e20d1d4e1d3@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/b260385e-3876-4df0-a1c7-9e20d1d4e1d3@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045

13/06/2025

SALDRU invites applications to 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱. Applications close soon, on 𝟮𝟯 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱. Get your application in! Course details below:

𝟭. 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮: 𝟳-𝟭𝟭 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱

This course is designed for those seeking further training in statistics and survey analysis in Stata. It is targeted at those who are entering a post-graduate programme in the social sciences, or those employed in a government or private sector position that requires frequent interaction with social statistics.

The course has three major components:
a) Introduction to household surveys
b) Overview of basic descriptive statistics
c) Hands-on instruction in the analysis of survey data using Stata

Some prior training in statistics is desirable, but not required. Furthermore, it is assumed that course participants are not familiar with Stata.

𝟮. 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝘄𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗮: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁: 𝟭𝟰-𝟭𝟴 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱

This one-week course aims to address a crucial aspect of empirical research that is often overlooked: data management.Graduate programmes often focus on mastering sophisticated estimation models. However, without the ability to effectively manage and transform data into a well-structured and analysis-ready format, these advanced methods can be challenging to implement and may yield unreliable results. This hands-on course will provide participants with the essential skills and knowledge to manage and organise their data for empirical research projects (including those incorporating primary data collection) using Stata.

Through a series of practical examples and exercises, participants will manage, clean, and process data of various types, use do files, import, export, merge and reshape datasets, and document their work for reproducibility and transparency.

Should you have any questions about the courses, please see our website https://saldru.uct.ac.za/articles/2025-06-12-saldru-stata-courses-july-2025 or email [email protected]. We look forward to receiving your applications!

See the flyers:
Social science research using survey data:https://saldru.uct.ac.za/sites/default/files/media/documents/saldru_uct_ac_za/2760/flyer-2025-saldru-social-science-research-using-survey-data-course.pdf

Data wrangling with Stata:https://saldru.uct.ac.za/sites/default/files/media/documents/saldru_uct_ac_za/2760/flyer-2025-saldru-data-wrangling-with-stata-course.pdf

SALDRU invites applications to the below two one-week Stata training courses to be held at the University of Cape Town in July 2025. Applications close on 23 June 2025.

04/04/2025

Our last day of the 🇿🇦 South Africa at Thirty Years of Democracy 🇿🇦 Conference

📜 Today's plenary opened with an address from Murray Leibbrandt. The discussion featured Trevor A. Manuel, Andrew Dabalen, and Iqbal Dhaliwal, who engaged with key issues surrounding South Africa's future.

💰 By 2054, the country must transition to a diversified, knowledge-based economy—moving beyond resource extraction to embrace technology, renewable energy, and advanced manufacturing.

👩‍💻 This shift requires major investments in R&D, innovation, and skills development to compete in African and global markets. At the same time, tackling inequality remains critical—ensuring access to quality education, healthcare, housing, infrastructure, and employment opportunities for all.

🎍 Sustainability will be at the heart of this transformation, with green technologies, improved resource management, and climate-resilient infrastructure shaping a more resilient economy.

📈 A balanced, long-term strategy is key to securing inclusive and sustainable growth for South Africa’s future.

03/04/2025

🚂 And we are full steam ahead!

➡️ The South Africa at Thirty Years of Democracy kicked off with the plenary session, where the words of the UCT Vice-Chancellor, Mosa Moshabela encouraged us to keep looking forward to South Africa's future:

📃 "We must continue balancing economic growth, social justice and political stability. Our free and fair elections still guide our leadership. Civil society holds power to account, and across sectors, South Africa is making strides as a global leader.

The question is: Have we done enough? If not, what must change? This conference gives us the opportunity to assess where our policies have succeeded and where they need adjustment."

🚶 There is still space so please join us at Kramer Law Building on UCT Middle Campus!

27/03/2025

⚡ South Africa’s Just Energy Transition: What It Means for Jobs & Growth 🌱🔍

As South Africa moves toward a greener future, what will the Just Energy Transition mean for the country’s labour market, economy, and communities?

At the South Africa at 30 Years of Democracy Conference, hosted by SALDRU in partnership with AFD and the EU Commission, we’re bringing together top policymakers, researchers, and development experts to tackle these pressing questions.

📅 Day 1 (April 2, 2025) continues with an in-depth discussion on the socioeconomic impact of the Just Energy Transition—what’s working, what needs rethinking, and how we can shape a more inclusive, sustainable future for South Africa.

💡 Be part of the conversation that will help drive policy and action for the next five years!

25/03/2025

South Africa’s unemployment crisis demands action. How can industrial policy, skills development, and technology create more job opportunities? Join the SA-TIED & Econ3x3 policy dialogue, co-hosted with the University of Johannesburg’s DSI/NRF South African Research Chair in Industrial Development (SARChI-ID)., to explore solutions. Register: https://go.unu.edu/H54uB

24/03/2025

🚀 Register today for the South Africa at 30 Years of Democracy Conference! 🇿🇦✨

On 2 April 2025, SALDRU, in partnership with Agence Française de Développement and the European Commission, brings together leading policymakers, researchers, and development experts to critically examine South Africa’s policy landscape over the past three decades.

🔎 Day 1 sets the stage for deep insights and bold discussions. We kick off with 12 key policy areas, starting with South Africa’s fiscal, industrial, and trade policies. What worked? What needs to change? And how do we shape policies that drive sustainable development over the next five years?

Be part of the conversation that will help chart South Africa’s future.

✒️ Register here by the end of today to guarantee your seat: https://lnkd.in/g_k7zgHj

20/03/2025

🇿🇦 South Africa at 30 Years of Democracy Conference 🇿🇦

The Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) is honored to host the "South Africa at 30 Years of Democracy" conference at the University of Cape Town. This important gathering will reflect on the country’s journey since 1994 and explore new pathways to unlock South Africa’s potential in the medium term.

The conference is funded by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the European Commission through the EU-AFD Research Facility on Inequalities, and Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA). It is supported by the Presidency, National Treasury (NT), and the National Planning Commission (NPC).

🔎 Stay tuned for insights and discussions on South Africa’s progress and future!