Youth Wage Subsidy could save many of the 100 000 farm worker jobs at risk
National Treasury's Youth Wage Subsidy could save many jobs that are at risk as a result of the new minimum wage settlement for the agriculture sector. This is because the subsidy would bring down the cost of permanent employment for young workers.
The DA calls on Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan to urgently clarify whether the Youth Wage Subsidy, as formulated by his department, will be implemented this year.
Agricultural sector estimates suggest that around 100 000 farm workers could find their jobs at risk following the 52.17% increase in the daily minimum wage for agriculture from R69 to R105.
A loss such as this would represent a massive increase in unemployment in our country, especially considering that StatsSA's Labour Force Survey released yesterday showed that 257 000 additional South Africans had entered unemployment over the past year. Youth unemployment is particularly high, with 4.8 million 15-34 year-old South Africans trapped in unemployment.
If the Youth Wage Subsidy were in place today, the cost of full-time employment at minimum wage for a new farm worker under twenty-nine years of age would effectively decrease from R105 to R61 per day for the first year, with government funding the rest of the wage.