COSATU statement on the 2017 fourth quarter unemployment figures
13 February 2018
The Congress of South African Trade Unions has noted the latest quarterly labour force survey that show that the unemployment rate has dropped to 26.7% in the fourth quarter of 2017. This is not surprising when considering the fact that the fourth quarter numbers, include a lot of festive season temporary work. The real test on the direction of unemployment will be when the first quarter numbers of 2018 are released.
The South African government has so far shown no plan to resolve South Africa’s structural unemployment. Our jobs are disappearing as a result of changes in the structure of the economy and also because the available labour does not have skills or education to occupy existing posts.
Since the adoption of the NDP by the ANC led government in 2013, the country’s fifth administration continues to preside over economic contraction and job-losses. The Statistician General Risenga Maluleke has accordingly pointed out that these latest figures are 12 percentage points away from the 14% targeted by the NDP by 2020.The NDP is failing the people of South Africa and this staunch adherence to a failing vision document by the ANC government is misguided
High unemployment cannot be resolved through wishful thinking but needs deliberate planning and imaginative policy formulation by government. Traditionally, the SA economy was based on export of raw materials in the agricultural and mineral sector underpinned by cheap labour and slave wages and not on technology. The majority of the population was discouraged and prevented from occupying skilled jobs through the colour bar act. The results of discriminatory labour market policies have resulted in huge skills deficit and lack of competitiveness that is caused by lack of investment in education and skills and technology by SA companies. The legacy of discrimination has continued to exist with mainly black and coloured workers being restricted to manual labour with lack of training and education.