While technological innovation and financial development are broadly credited as important drivers of economic growth of developed nations, their impact on inequality (especially in emerging economies) remains understudied. Thus, the objective of this study is to investigate the impact of technological innovation and financial development on income inequality in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries using panel dynamic ordinary least squares (PDOLS) and panel fully modified ordinary least squares (PFMOLS) with annual data sourced from the Standardized World Income Inequality Database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (1990–2017). The results suggest that technological innovation increases income inequality in the BRICS nations, while financial development has an income reducing effect on inequality. Our results are robust, using alternative estimation with various sub-indicators of financial development (such as financial markets and financial institution), including other measures proxied by access to credit provided by commercial banks. The study’s results have important implications for policy and practice in the BRICS countries. By providing a nuanced understanding of the relationship between technological innovation, financial development and inequality, the study will inform the design and implementation of policies aimed at reducing inequality and promoting inclusive growth in these emerging economies.

Labour markets have undergone vast transformations over the last few years. There are arguments that employment and unemployment measures have not been adequate in understanding the complexities of labour markets. Research on labour underutilisation has focused on one side of the spectrum, which is just about the scarcity of jobs. However, there is more to the labour market than just scarcity of jobs, and many researchers believe unemployment is not a complete measurement of unused labour capacity, which is why this study aimed to investigate the existence of underemployment from the perceptions of young graduates themselves. In this regard, the definition of young people entailed those younger than 35 years as officially defined in South Africa. The study employed a primary data method of data collection in which an online survey was used to collect the necessary data from the alumni database of a South African university. The study used binary logistic regression to determine factors that contributed to or influenced underemployment status. The main findings indicated that underemployment was rife according to age, where younger graduates (20–29 years) were more likely to be underemployed compared to their more mature counterparts; that is, those in the 30–34 age category, with non-White graduates most likely to encounter underemployment compared to their counterparts. This study resulted in important findings that carry significant policy implications and recommendations that may be crucial in correcting the current employment mismatches in the South African graduate labour market.

Graduate unemployment is especially problematic in a country where much emphasis is placed on furthering academic studies for economic and personal rewards. This article investigates the relationship between career choice and unemployment length among graduates from a South African university. Data were collected by means of a survey questionnaire distributed to graduates in the university’s alumni database. An analysis of variance model was estimated and various descriptive analyses and an ordinary least squares regression were employed. The study finds that the specific majors held by graduates not only influence employment status but also the time taken to find employment. Although human resources, industrial psychology, labour relations management, public administration, public management and politics remain the most popular majors, many graduates in these areas have to wait a long time before securing a job. In light of their findings, the authors recommend that university courses should be as practically oriented as possible in order to help graduates in the job market and consequently to make the transition from education to work an easier one. For their part, graduates need to ensure that they make wise and informed career choices. The government needs to put into effect direct interventions that will enhance and augment teaching and learning throughout the educational system, bearing in mind that the choice to study a certain discipline may be affected by many factors, some of which are beyond the control of the student, such as the quality of school education or socio-economic background.

This study investigates the relationship between ESG performance and economic growth in BRICS nations from 2000 to 2020, aiming to understand how ESG practices influence development trajectories. By integrating economic theories with relevant conceptual frameworks, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of ESG dynamics in emerging economies. The purpose of this study is to determine how the economic growth of the BRICS countries between 2000 and 2020 was impacted by ESG performance at the national level. This work contributes to the body of knowledge by offering a fresh macroeconomic examination of the connection between economic growth and ESG performance in the BRICS nations, a topic that is still relatively unexplored in comparison to firm-level research. A significant knowledge gap on how developing economies strike a balance between rapid economic expansion and environmental and social sustainability is filled by the research’s use of a thorough national-level ESG framework. The study employed a dynamic panel auto regressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, utilising a dynamic pooled mean group (PMG) ARDL econometric technique for both short- and long-term estimates. The findings reveal a short-term negative relationship between ESG performance and economic growth in the BRICS countries, which implies that there are high transitional effects involved in sustainable growth solutions. It also highlights the structural and developmental heterogeneity among BRICS countries. Moreover, the study highlights that carbon emissions positively influence short-term economic growth, underscoring the challenge of balancing sustainability with the continued reliance on fossil fuels in these economies. However, the long-term results show that strong ESG practices ultimately positively affect economic growth, reinforcing the importance of investing in sustainable development for achieving high-quality, long-term prosperity. This conclusion emphasises that, while short-term trade-offs may exist, robust ESG frameworks are crucial for fostering enduring economic and environmental well-being.

There has been a wave of significant changes in labour markets worldwide, which has seen the pace of secure and stable employment decline significantly. South Africa has not been saved from this wave of change. Besides the country’s high unemployment rate, both at the national level and among the youth by global standards, non-standard employment such as casual and part-time work has been rising. Simultaneously, advanced education has additionally demonstrated no guarantee of employment. Rising labour market instability has therefore necessitated exploring alternative measures of labour underutilisation over and above the typical measures of unemployment. This is a critical study, particularly in South Africa, where youth’s extreme lack of employment opportunities is likely to push them towards non-standard forms of employment. Hence the primary objective of the study was to analyse underemployment among young university graduates in South Africa. The study followed a quantitative research approach that entailed primary data collection through a survey. Firstly, descriptive statistics of the frequency distribution for discrete data. Secondly, an ordinary least squares regression model was employed where three different types of regressions were used to analyse the determinants of the three types of underemployment. The main findings show race and marital status as significant factors determining underemployment status. The rest of the results are discussed, and conclusions and recommendations are drawn to show how dynamic youth labour markets are in developing countries. The paper looks at associations and makes no causality claims.