DEPARTMENT: LABOUR JOB OPPORTUNITIES AND UNEMPLOYMENT 2012 - 2013 INTRODUCTION Amongst quite a number of tried and tested policies and strategies, high unemployment still appears to be persistent in the South African labour market. This is not only as the result of the challenges that are created domestically but also as a result of the continuing global economic crisis, in particular in the Euro-Zone which affects the level of foreign direct investment in the South African economy. (It is understood that the lack of investment injection could reduce the overall economic growth as it could also affect employment opportunities in the country). There are various arguments about the cause of unemployment in South Africa. As reported, South Africa’s poor education system and lack of productivity is costing jobs. High unemployment in South Africa is likely to persist for the foreseeable future as domestic growth forecasts continue to be revised downward Despite all these arguments, this annual report is meant to reflect on the job opportunities, e.g., vacancies created by the South African economy in line with the prospect of sectoral skills needed 3 as against available skills in the country. The data used to analyse and measure these situations is collected through various newspapers covering all the provinces, administrative data, and the Department of Labour’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey. It is noted that the South African economy is faced with the triple challenge of unemployment, inequality and poverty. But amongst the three challenges, high unemployment (25.2% in quarter one of 2013) coincides with low economic growth (0.9% in quarter one of 2013). Within the Department, about R4 billion from the UIF was lent to businesses through the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to save or create jobs. It is reported that 21 234 jobs were created and 20 161 saved for the period up to 31 March 2013. The UIF continues to play a pivotal role in the area of job creation. The main purpose of this report is to assess the job opportunities, job losses and the skills gaps in the country during the financial year 2012/13, in order to inform policy makers on the changes of skills supplied and demanded, then draw some suggestions on how policy makers can intervene and minimise the risks associated with unemployment. As previously noted, solutions to the critical challenge of unemployment will include, amongst others, well drafted and sound economic policies that need to be coordinated, implemented and monitored by all parties: Government, Organised Business and Organised Labour. A common understanding, strong partnership, minimum degree of agreement and accountability must be considered as critical stimulus to advance the agenda of halving the unemployment rate by 15% in 2020. The National Development Plan (including the National Growth Path) is our blueprint document that will guide us through this challenging task. Thus, there is a need for a strategic shift and the introduction of a number of projects for the country to realise this goal. The layout of this annual report comprises of the following sections: following this introduction, Section Two covers the overview of the South African labour force. It presents the trends in the SA labour market looking mainly at the Unemployment Insurance Fund data, e.g., claims on unemployment benefits to ordinary unemployed received and processed within the Department that reflect the level of job losses in the country from April 2012 to March 2013. Section Three provides an analysis on the job opportunities created or advertised during the same period. In other words, what occupational skills were in demand, opportunities created per industry, opportunities created per province as well as the types of vacancies created, whether full/part-time or contract. Section Four concludes by remarking on the challenges of unemployment in the South African economy during the financial year 2012/13 and also recommends possible solutions to these challenges, as discussed in various research papers.... So follow the link and Be Wise! labour.gov.za/DOL/downloads/documents/annual-reports/job-opportunities-and-unemployment-in-the-south-african-labour-market/2013/joboppreport2013a.pdf
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 14:54:08 +0000
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