Protests are a common occurrence in South Africa, employees demanding their employers give in to their demands. Whether it is yet another salary/wage increase or better overtime rates, several South African employees are quick to down their tools to get their way.
Yet, South Africa’s unemployment rate has yet again climbed in the third quarter of 2019. This time to a staggering 29.1%.
This is the highest it has been in over 16 years, with the unemployment rate last reaching 28% in 2003.
According to Stats South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the quarter ended September 2019, the working-age population has seen an increase by 149,000 or 0.4% in the third quarter of 2019.
While the number of employed people sees an increase of 62,000 to 16.4 million, the number of unemployed people has increased by a jaw-dropping 78,000, with 6.7 million people now unemployed.
Currently, the absorption rate remains constant at 42.4%. However, the unemployment and the labour force participation rates have increased by 0.1 of a percentage point, each to 29.1% and 59.9% respectively.
The formal sector sees the largest employment increase with 43, 000, followed by agriculture with 38 000 and private household sectors in third place with 35, 000.
On the other hand, employment in the informal sector has seen a drastic decline in 53,000 jobs compared to the second quarter of this year.
The number of discouraged job hunters has increased by 44,000 people. Then there are those who are not economically active for an array of reasons, reasons which does not include discouragement. Stats SA claims these people have decreased by 35 000 between the second and the third quarters of 2019.
This has resulted in a nett increase of 9 000 people who now sit in the not economically active population.
What forms of employment has seen an increase?
Professional occupation has seen the biggest increase in employment, up by 122,000, followed by sales and services which is up by 89,000 jobs.
Manager occupations, however, has recorded one of the largest employment losses, with 92,000 people. This is followed by craft and related trades reflecting losses of 45,000.
Employment as a plant and machine operator has also seen a substantial amount of employment losses, dropping by 43 000 jobs. Clerical occupations recorded the lowest decrease of 12 000 jobs.
With the SA unemployment rate standing at 29.1%, where does the United States stand?
According to Trade Economics, the US unemployment rate decreased to 3.5% in September 2019 from 3.7% in the previous year. Also, over the past month, the number of unemployed persons decreased by 275,000 to 5.8 million.
How is South Africa sitting with a 29.1% unemployment rate, with 6.7 million unemployed people, when the USA is standing with a 3.5% unemployment rate with 5.8 million unemployed people?
Based on Worldometers elaboration of the latest United Nations data, South Africa’s current population is estimated at 58,558,270 people. However, the US is standing at 329, 703, 175 people strong according to Worldometers.
With the US housing 271,144,905 people more than South Africa, what is the USA doing better than South Africa? Does the States have better leaders? Are Americans more willing to work than South Africans? Do Americans protest less than South Africans?
As a much larger country than ours, surely South Africa should have a lower unemployment rate. Surely, we should be richer than a country who has more mouths to feed. Shouldn’t we?
How do you feel South Africa can lower its unemployment rate and enhance its people’s lives? Share your opinions and views with us in the comment section below.
