Durban – Brett Herron, the GOOD party’s secretary-general and MP, said enthusiasm over the small gains in unemployment figures must be tempered by the reality that far too many South Africans were without jobs.
Statistics South Africa on Monday, based on the Quarterly Labour Force Survey, revealed that unemployment stood at 32.7% in the fourth quarter of last year, 0.2% less compared to the third quarter.
During the State Of The Nation debate last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country’s economy needed to grow much faster if there was to be any progress in meaningfully reducing unemployment.
He said focus would be placed on the greatest issues facing the country, including unemployment, load shedding, poverty and the rising cost of living, crime and corruption.
Herron said the gains made “in addressing stubbornly high unemployment must be tempered by the cold reality that millions of South Africans will remain trapped in poverty for a number of years”.
“This continues a trend of marginally better employment statistics through 2022. But the numbers are too small to meaningfully impact joblessness and poverty.
”The 'real' or expanded unemployment rate, which includes the people who have given up looking for jobs, remains at a horrendous 42.6%.”
He said youth unemployment for those aged 15 to 34 years stood at 45.3% and he described these figures as grim.
“What this means is that more than 11 million people (7.8 million unemployed and 3.4 million discouraged work-seekers) woke without a job or proper income.
“Modest economic growth (as announced in last week’s Budget), and a modest decline in the unemployment rate, can’t camouflage the urgent necessity to meet the basic needs of these millions of struggling compatriots.
“South Africa needs an economy that can generate jobs, but in the meantime it needs to expand the social security net by introducing measures such as a Basic Income Grant,” Herron said.