Over the past weekend I have followed with interest the latest statistics relating to the increasing unemployment rates, especially among the youth in South Africa.
The reports were in the build up to the Job Summit 2018 which will be held on Thursday led by the South African president, Cyril Ramophosa, in Midrand.
The initiative is meant to help sort out the continuing increase in unemployment numbers, and to improve in the process the stagnating economy as a long-term remedy.
Investors and business people, especially those in the private sector, will attend the summit.
I cringed when I went through the statistics and discovered that unemployment in the last quarter had increased to 27.2 per cent.
This shows a 0.5 per cent increase in South Africa’s labour market.
In the latest statistics released by the statistician-general, non-agricultural formal sector bled 69 000 jobs between March and June, meaning a total of 255 000 jobs in the sector were lost during the period.
While the manufacturing lost 105 000 jobs, community, social and personal industries shed 93 000 jobs. Trade had to lay off 57 000 employees.
This is a said reality because many of those affected are young people between the ages of 15 and 34.
The statistics shows during the same period that 38.2 per cent of young people were unemployed, bringing us to the sad reality that one in three young people had been unemployed during this period.
These are young people with university qualifications who desperately stand by the busy traffic lights in the hope of attracting potential employers.
These are young people who are ready to put what they have learnt to good use, and make a living out of it. But the country is not generating enough employment opportunities to absorb them.
The privileged might suggest it is about time young people creating opportunities themselves by starting small business ventures.
But small businesses also come with other challenges because the rand is also dropping by the day, and many are holding their purses close to their hearts, and counting every cent.
I am not trying to make excuses for my peers, but believe me, it is hard being a young person in this country trying to make it, and competing with peers.
I was happy when I learnt that Ramaphosa is making waves in attracting international investors, China being one of the investment destinations being earmarked, even though this has been met with mixed emotions by the residents, especially those in politics.
I am also hoping the dream team set up by Ramaphosa to source local and international investments will yield good results.
