The South African population is rapidly growing but the labour force decreased by 235 000 persons between the third quarter of 2012 and the fourth quarter of 2012. This decrease was reflected in a decrease in the number of both unemployed persons (166 000) and employed persons (68 000), which saw the unemployment rate decline by 0.6 of a percentage point from 25.5 percent to 24.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012. Source: Statistics South Africa.
The unemployment rate for South Africa was 24.9% for the last quarter of 2013. In South-Africa the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force. What is alarming is that the number of discouraged unemployed persons increased by 87 000 between the third quarter of 2012 and the fourth quarter of 2012. A discouraged unemployed person is someone that gave up any hope to ever find work and stopped applying for employment.
In this series of articles the fundamental changes that must occur in the South African labour market to address the unemployment pandemic will be discussed.
The introduction of flexible employment contracts and making part-time work more accessible in the South-African labour market may be the key to address the unemployment menace. Since 2000, South Africa’s temporary or part-time workforce has grown by 11.9% per annum, compared to an average annual decline of 1.5% in the permanent or full-time workforce.
Normally population growth is an indication that more skilled workers will be available in the labour market. Why is this not the situation in South Africa?
There is a myriad of reasons why workers drop out of the labour-market
Freelance or part-time work is a excellent way to enter or return to the labour market.
10 advantages of freelance work:
about the bond with the Company or working yournotice period in a freelance job when you want to leave a less paid work or a job which does not give you any job satisfaction or sense of accomplishment.
André Beukes is an EU Management Consultant to international companies doing business in Europe. He provides clients with practical business support that makes a real difference doing business in the EU. “Put simply, I am here to help you meet your challenges. I believe in the importance of doing things correctly, meaning risks are reduced and problems are avoided.”
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