10.4225/03/5936120028d02 Cornwell, Katy Katy Cornwell Inder, Brett A. Brett A. Inder Migration and Unemployment in South Africa: when Motivation Surpasses the Theory Monash University 2017 1959.1/2360 Unemployment monash:2360 Informal Sector South Africa Africa Labour Turnover 2004 Rural-Urban Migration 2017-06-06 02:22:54 Journal contribution https://bridges.monash.edu/articles/journal_contribution/Migration_and_Unemployment_in_South_Africa_when_Motivation_Surpasses_the_Theory/5080846 This paper looks at the connection between internal migration and unemployment in South Africa. We examine whether rural-urban migrants are more likely to be unemployed, in informal sector employment or underemployed than non-migrants. We build on standard economic theory to predict that rates of unemployment and of participation in the informal sector ought to be much higher for migrants than for non-migrants. The empirical evidence we present, based on the 1993 and 1994 October Household Surveys, provides only some support for this theory. Results suggest that compared to job seeking non-migrants, recent migrants do well at finding formal employment, and are much less likely to be unemployed.