Abstract

To best understand the changing nature of labour markets and how they function,  it is necessary to base our analysis on both the empirical evidence and appropriate  theoretical frameworks. This is particularly so as theory is about real-life situations  and enhances our understanding of how the world around us works and changes.  Theory also guides inquiry into social questions for a better understanding of  how they can be resolved. With this in mind, this paper examines the findings  of the Human Sciences Research Council’s (HSRC) Labour Market Intelligence  Partnership (LMIP) studies, and specifically the 2016 report on Skills Supply and  Demand in South Africa. This it does through the deployment of the contemporary  labour market theories. In doing so, lessons for the maritime sector, which is  presently seeking to implement its skills planning and employment creation plans,  are discussed. The paper finds that while the LMIP lays foundation for future  skills planning, its analysis is, however, not explicitly and adequately anchored into  contemporary labour market theories. This is a major shortcoming as these theories  alert us to issues that LMIP is not adequately giving attention to, i.e., the socially  structured and segmented nature of the labour markets under the competitive  pressures of globalisation and technological changes.