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Women are disproportionately affected by climate impacts and economic exclusion. Photo: David Harrison/M&G
CORONAVIRUS

Brace yourselves for the worst or act – now!

Revolutions have grown out of less — millions of people without salaries are not going to sit quietly, watching elites live undisturbed

  • Liv Tørres
  • Sharan Burrow
8 min read
File photo by Delwyn Verasamy/M&G
CORONAVIRUS

An unprecedented crisis: The economic ramifications of Covid-19

The ways in which we respond to the coronavirus pandemic will determine the world that greets us when we emerge from lockdown

  • Quentin du Plessis
9 min read
Graduates are being left in the lurch by a higher education department that is simply unable to deliver the crucial certificates proving their qualifications – in some cases dating back to 1992
4IR

We must equip graduates to excel in tasks that are beyond the scope of AI

With artificial intelligence taking over background tasks in the financial services sector, graduates need to be equipped with modern skills and mindsets to complement the…

  • David Taylor
4 min read
(John McCann/M&G)
CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

Preparing graduates for the workplace

Imbuing students with entrepreneurial thinking can also provide value to the larger economy

  • Francis Petersen
5 min read
Although there are several state-sponsored initiatives aimed at creating work opportunities, these initiatives tend to miss many young people who are isolated as a result of vulnerabilities and social exclusion.
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

Are young South Africans set up for failure?

With 7.9-million young South Africans out of work or with very little education or training opportunities, who looks out for their aspirations?

  • Zama Mthunzi
5 min read
Across the country, young people tell us daily about the barriers they face when looking for work.
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

Young people must help design a youth employment plan

A six-point plan will help to drive the president’s youth employment intervention but it is essential that the experiences of young people are prioritised in its design and…

  • Kristal Duncan-Williams
8 min read
Increased accessibility to housing subsidies, acceptance of alternative building materials and the opportunity to create jobs makes a strong case for sustained economic and social development.
INFORMAL SECTOR

The informal economy is necessary to deal with the unemployment crisis

It is more connected to the broader economy than we realise and should be supported

  • Eddie Rakabe
4 min read
“I will leave the house now. But the fact remains: Nomazizi must rest in peace — she was abused by your president,” EFF leader Julius Malema said.
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

EFF ‘circus’ becomes contagion as MPs heckle Malema

ANC MPs test the EFF’s disruptive tactics on the leader of the Red Berets in Sona reply

  • Lester Kiewit
5 min read
Analyses of racialised disparities in both labour and product markets illustrate the need for strengthened economic redress. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy/M&G
JOBS

Unemployment rate remains unchanged, despite 45 000 new jobs being created

Labour statistics show that more jobs were created in the fourth quarter of 2019, but the rate of increase hasn’t kept up with the growth of the potential workforce, leaving the…

  • Thando Maeko
3 min read
Mail & Gaurdian
COUNTRY

EDITORIAL: The margin for error is gone

Nowhere is this more apparent than in this week’s jobs numbers. The unemployment rate is justifiably described as a crisis.

  • Editorial
2 min read
According to the survey, this figure marks the highest increase in the number of unemployed persons in the second quarter of the year since 2013. (David Harrison/M&G)
COUNTRY

Unemployment rate at 29% — StatsSA

The number of South Africans without jobs now stands at 6.7-million

  • Sarah Smit
3 min read
The turnaround time of 14 to 21 days for UIF payouts is
UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES

No work and still no UIF payout

The fund has billions banked, but claimants say accessing what they are due is a nightmare

  • Thulebona Mhlanga
5 min read
Firing line: Bakang Seretse
ANC

The lesser known and scarier facts about unemployment in South Africa

A deeper analysis of South Africa’s joblessness reveals a scarier picture of large sections of the population suffering, especially for the youth

  • Staff Reporter
5 min read
The unemployment rate reached 32.6%, the highest since the survey was launched in 2008, in the first three months of 2021
STATS SA

You might not be as unemployed as you think you are, says Stats SA

About 15.7-million work, 5.7-million don’t, but the numbers depend on the definition of employment.

  • Staff Reporter
8 min read
A perceived distance between unions and their workers is often cited as a key factor which drives workers away from unions
COSATU

‘Workers do not have a good story to tell’

Between the second quarters of 2014 and 2015, union membership in South Africa decreased by 17 000 members.

  • Sarah Evans
8 min read
With every ‘we regret to inform you’ your dignity and self-worth take a knock, but please don’t give up
CARIN SMITH

Lower unemployment rate masks worrisome work prospects

Unemployment levels fell in the second quarter, largely on informal sector job creation, but the number of discouraged job seekers rose.

  • Carin Smith
3 min read
SOUTH AFRICAN ECONOMY

Cosatu: Too early to celebrate drop in unemployment rate

Cosatu says the crisis caused by load-shedding is sure to slow down the rate of new investment, essential for job creation.

  • Sapa
2 min read
Marginalised: Unemployment prevents many young people from being productive and fulfilled citizens.
UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES

SA’s unemployment rate spirals further into the record books

The unemployment rate in South Africa has risen to 25.5% – the worst rate of joblessness seen since the first labour force survey in 2008.

  • Staff Reporter
2 min read
The industry hardest hit by job losses was manufacturing, with 105 000 people becoming unemployed in that sector in the second quarter. (Gallo)
EMPLOYMENT

Employment down for first quarter of 2014

Overall unemployment has increased to 25.2% in the first quarter of this year, according to a Stats SA report.

  • Thalia Holmes
4 min read
Job creation: National government cannot build a thriving labour market on the foundations of failing infrastructure.
BNP PARIBAS

Unemployment rate drops as government hires workers

The unemployment rate fell to 24.1% or 50 000 according to Statistics South Africa data released on Tuesday.

  • Rene Vollgraaff
2 min read