South Africa's job market paradox | 12,000 new jobs but 91,000 annual losses revealed

Statistics South Africa (StatsSA)released the quarterly employment statistics for the last quarter of 2024 on Tuesday morning.

The report revealed that total employment increased by 12,000 from 10,628,000 in September 2024 to 10,640,000 in December 2024, giving hope to the many unemployed South Africans, particularly the youth. This is as a result of the increase in employment in trade, business services, transport and electricity.

However, the report also revealed that 91,000 people in various sectors lost their jobs between December 2023 and December 2024, with 26,000 people in full-time employment losing their jobs in the same period, much to the disappointment of those brimming with hope of employment and an improved labour market.

This is due to the decrease in employment in community services, manufacturing, construction and mining.

South Africa has a population of 54,500,000 people, almost half of which are subjected to poverty and unemployment including discouraged work seekers, 45% of which are young people between the ages of 15 and 34, according to StatsSA.

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IOL took to the streets of Rosebank to get public comments and suggestions on the revelations.

Speaking to IOL, Mpumelelo Qwethini, 33, a salesperson at Cartrack, said: "The unemployment rate has been very high, especially after the pandemic, due to companies not being able to recover and people not getting jobs after they got retrenched. Both the government and the private sector have not done much to regroup.

"I always say, we are not focused on what we produce, for example our economy is largely based on mining and agriculture, however, I can assure you, we don't have many schools which teach and deal with that. The government needs to shift focus to more skills development initiatives, improve colleges and give people practical skills. Not everything is about a degree."

Jenain Sale, 29, a telemarketer, said: "Our economy is unsustainable with the high unemployment rate, we need to give more opportunities to the youth and create conducive grounds for people to start businesses."

Benele Mlomo, 25, consultant at Imuva Consulting said: "It is interesting, but it is not showing the progress of our economy as a nation. Even though it is regressive progress, it shows how we have embarked on a journey of regression.

"The government needs to root out corruption and work together in such a way that they prioritise the people and not their desires."

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