WORKERS DAY
Workers Day - earlier this week - provided us with an opportunity to assess the state of employment and labour relations in our country.
The picture does not look good.
According to StatsSA's Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the 4th quarter of 2013 unemployment was at 24,1%. If one includes discouraged work-seekers the unemployment (expanded definition) rate jumps to 34%. However, even these statistics do not reveal the whole picture. The bottom line is that our labour absorption rate of only 43,3% means that only 43,4% of people of working age (15 - 64) are in employment. This compares with labour absorption rates of more than 60% in most advanced societies. The labour absorption rate among black South Africans is only 40,1% compared with 63,1% for whites.
Unemployment rates also vary significantly between population groups. Among black South Africans it is 27,1% (38,5% - expanded definition); among Coloureds 23% (26,8%) ; among Indians it is 12,5% (17,1%) and among whites it is only 7,2% (8,4%).
According to StatsSA, 3,728 million South Africans (registered to pay tax) belong to trade unions and 8,95 million do not. Of the unionized workers about 2 million belong to Cosatu - after the defection of NUMSA and its 290 000 members.