Atypical Forms of Employment

The atypical forms of employment in South Africa emerged mainly due to globalisation and trade liberalisation, which encouraged international competition. This type of employment raised new forms of employment relationships. Because of the ambiguities in the legal definition of their employment, people operating within atypical employment are constantly faced with challenges as they are not well protected by labour legislation compared to "typical" employees. The desire to understand and address issues and challenges posed by atypical forms of employment in the current South African industrial relations system inspired this book, which analyse and contextualise the emergence of atypical forms of employment. This review allows employers, investors, human resource practitioners and postgraduate students to gain a better understanding of the key elements in the employment relationship in South Africa. It is aimed at enabling greater responsiveness, flexibility and cost-effectiveness in the light of intensified competitive pressures, greater market uncertainty and availability of new technologies in these times of a more deregulated labour market.