GOOD Statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
29 November 2022
South Africa’s stubbornly high unemployment rate is a reminder that millions of people will not be lifted out of poverty any time soon – and therefore require urgent support in the short term.
Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) today released the results of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey which showed that the country’s official unemployment rate stood at 32.9% in the third quarter of this year.
This does reflect a 1.0% decline compared to the second quarter of 2022. But while this is encouraging, it still has very little impact on the overall crisis faced by South Africa in terms of joblessness and poverty.
Despite also falling by 1 percentage point, the “real” or expanded unemployment rate, which includes those people who have given up looking for jobs, stands at 43.1%.
This means over 11 million people, 7,7 million unemployed and 3,5 million discouraged work-seekers, are currently without a job and proper income – a situation many of us can’t even begin to imagine being in.
What is further of concern is that youth aged 15-24 years and 25-34 years recorded the highest unemployment rates of 59,6% and 40,5% respectively.
This reality is unacceptable but also impossible to change in the short term as our economy is not creating enough jobs to lift South Africans out of poverty.
And as we have already stated, even at a modest 3% growth rate, which we do not expect to achieve in the near future, we will not eliminate or meaningfully reduce unemployment over the next decade.
Therefore GOOD maintains that South Africa must urgently implement a Basic Income Grant (BIG) to assist the millions of South Africans who live below the poverty line.
The issue of BIG’s affordability will come down to South Africa’s priorities – and these statistics once again prove that this a is a crucial area which cannot be ignored.
South Africa must be realistic about the situation it finds itself in and take the necessary steps that is expected from the State as per our Constitution.
Media Enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
Cell: 0825183264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Janke Tolmay, GOOD Media Manager
Cell: 0733671223
Email: janke@forgood.org.za