GOOD Statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
28 February 2023
Enthusiasm over the small gains we’ve 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 more years.
The official unemployment rate released by Statistics South Africa today, based on the Quarterly Labour Force Survey, stood at 32.7% in the fourth quarter of last year – a decline of 0.2% compared to the third quarter.
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 t people who have given up looking for jobs, remains at a horrendous 42.6%.
Particularly grim is the unemployment rate for those aged 15-34 years, at 45,3%.
What this means is that this morning, 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.
GOOD welcomes the signs that the unemployment rate appears to be bottoming out.
But there’s a mountain to climb, with the slippery slopes of Eskom, sluggish economic growth, extreme poverty and loss of confidence to overcome, before we can claim to be on safe footing.
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