South Africa’s official unemployment rate has dropped by 1.4 percentage points, moving from 33.5% in the second quarter to 32.1% in the third quarter of 2024, according to Statistics SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey. This decline reflects an increase of 294,000 employed individuals and a decrease of 373,000 unemployed persons.
Independent Economic Analyst Professor Bonke Dumisa welcomed the improvement but emphasized its limited impact. “While the 1.4% decrease is welcomed, it hardly makes a dent in South Africa’s unemployment crisis,” he said. Dumisa stressed the importance of addressing structural issues to achieve meaningful progress. “We must go beyond celebrating small victories and focus on removing the root causes of unemployment,” he added.
Dumisa criticized the lack of clarity on the government’s promised structural reforms and called for a national dialogue on tackling unemployment. “At the core, we are producing graduates who do not align with the economic needs of the country. This must change, even if it causes short-term discomfort.”
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
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