Latest News & Developments
Statistics South Africa's latest report reveals a complex employment landscape: a modest 12,000 job increase in Q4 2023, yet a concerning annual loss of 91,000 positions. With youth unemployment at 45%, everyday South Africans interviewed by IOL offer practical solutions – from targeted skills development in mining and agriculture to combating corruption and creating better conditions for entrepreneurship.
Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba has pledged to create over 300 permanent jobs for unemployed youth to maintain and repair roads across the province.
The official unemployment rate was 32. 9% in the first quarter of 2024.
The president assured young people that his government would not stop its efforts to ensure that they were equipped with skills and employment opportunities.
The report also found that about 40% of unemployed youth did not finish matric and showed there were major discrepancies between employers’ needs and youths’ skills.
OPINION: Maybe we all need to focus less on lamenting about unemployment and instead on what we can do to create employment. We need to spend less time complaining and more time taking decisive action.
The cost of fuel, food and electricity have all gone up, prompting individuals to find ways to supplement their income.
OPINION: The past two-and-a-bit years have been characterised by so much bad news on the economic front that society has become numb to the pain of bad news, writes Alex Mabunda.