Bloomberg has it that unemployment in South Africa rises to 25% . So, what is the progress in this nation?
South Africa’s jobless rate, the highest of 61 countries tracked by Bloomberg, increased to 25 percent in the first quarter as Africa’s biggest economy failed to create employment for new job-seekers.
The unemployment rate rose from 24 percent in the fourth quarter, Statistics South Africa said in a report released in the capital, Pretoria, today. The number of people in work fell by 14,000 to 13.1 million.
Africa must certainly elevate the game to ensure that citizens get decent jobs. That is the only way to stay hopeful and peaceful. We understand the displacement with technology, but nations must work hard to align the economic prosperity with job creation. That way, a middle class will be built. That the biggest economy in Africa hovers around mid 20s in jobless rate is not a good sign of progress. For most, it is still paper progress which is yet to touch their lives.
It is imperative that we match our good paper statistics with better living standards for our citizens. That Africa is growing and we still house most of the poorest people on earth could be that we are creating and expanding wealth for only the top of the pyramid. That wealth must trickle down and job is the most effective way of doing that.