3 Scarce And Critical Skill 2 1

South African – German Development Co-operation

National Skills Authority – Briefing Paper

SCARCE and CRITICAL SKILLS

October 2007

Commissioned by the Department of Labour and Briefing Paper for the NSA: Scarce and Critical Skills

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS.........................................................................3
METHODOLOGY AND CONSULTATION ..................................................................4
Consultation during the development of the NSA Briefing Papers...............................4
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................5
1.

INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................6

2.
2.1
2.2
2.3

SCARCE AND CRITICAL SKILLS: A SOCIO-ECONOMIC PRIORITY...........6
National focus on addressing scarce and critical skills .....................................6
The development of a National Scarce and Critical Skills List ..........................7
Challenges in determining and addressing skills needs....................................8

3.
DEFINING, LOCATING AND CONTEXTUALISING SCARCITY .....................9
3.1
Early recognition of the skills crisis....................................................................9
3.2
Competing forces, interests and demands........................................................9
3.3
Defining scarcity ..............................................................................................10
3.3.1
Confusion and contestation around terminology......................................10
3.4
Challenges faced in identifying scarcity ..........................................................11
3.5
Wage pressures and scarcity ..........................................................................12
4.
MEASURING SCARCITY ...............................................................................12
4.1
Methods for identifying and