Locals voice their opinions on latest unemployment figures
Polokwane Observer spoke to hawkers in the city's central business district to hear their views on the latest unemployment figures by Stats South Africa.
Koketso Sekhwela
Sebasa Mogale is a hawker in the City of Polokwane.
POLOKWANE – The latest unemployment figures, by Stats South Africa, show that Limpopo created a total of 133 000 jobs in the last quarter, a slight decrease from the previous term.
Yet, close to 50% of citizens here are still without jobs.
According to Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the fourth quarter of 2022, Limpopo has the third highest expanded unemployment rate (49.9%) after the provinces of the Eastern Cape (53%) and the Northern Cape (50.3%) and it is a matter of concern that the province now has about 700 000 people who are desperate for a job and 511 000 who has given up hope of ever finding the means to earn a living.
The expanded unemployment rate reflects on the job seekers who have given up to find any new jobs in a scenario where it is difficult to get employment. Narrow unemployment refers to the people who are unemployed but are seeking jobs and trying to get some work.