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Casual labourers decry lack of opportunities

Job Seekers
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The tough economic conditions in South Africa and the high rate of unemployment are playing out on the ground.

Semi-skilled and unskilled casual workers have expressed concern about the lack of job opportunities in Port Elizabeth with some of the roadside freelancers saying that as much as two weeks go by without them getting any employment.

South Africa’s unemployment figure is pegged at 29%.

The workers are also reporting that the tough conditions are creating a situation where some workers are cutting their rates to get the jobs.

“Our life is very painful as we have families and dreams to be better people so we can change our circumstances but we don’t know what to do,” says one distraught worker.

“It’s painful here as you can see there are no jobs,” adds another one.

The job seekers are not just South Africans and a large number of foreign nationals also ply their trade. It is a tough market.

Jobseeker, Marvellous Johnson says, “Most of us are professional. Look at me, I’m a boilermaker, an electrician. I can do plumbing, paving but you are expecting to get something, but for now, it’s a long time without a job. I’m still looking for a job.”

The situation will not improve anytime soon. Development economist, Dr Nthabiseng Moleka, says the current economic situation is hitting semi-skilled job seekers hard.

“We have a large tertiary service sector which is about two-thirds of your economy, which is your advanced sectors, financial, real estate, community and social service and retail and trade. Those sectors are the large component of our economy and you find that secondary and tertiary sectors which are labour intensive are dwindling and as a result of that. You find that unskilled workers are not able to be absorbed in large proportions and they getting left behind.”

The 29% unemployment figure for South African translates into more than 6.5 million people of a labour force of 23 million.

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