‘Skills shortage to blame for lack of economic growth, job opportunities in SA’

A skills development specialist says the skills deficit in South Africa is to blame for the lack of economic growth and job opportunities.

The world has marked Workers Days with rallies and events. Afrika Tukkun Chief Executive Onyi Nwaneri has encouraged workers to improve their skills set.

South Africa currently sits with an unemployment rate of 46.2% to Statistics South Africa’s expanded definition of unemployment.

The young people are worst affected and Nwaneri says it is huge problem in  South Africa.

“We have a high unemployment rate we’ve seen, especially in the youth sector, we have 66% unemployment rate in terms of young people between the ages of 18-35, but at the same time we have skills shortages.

Therefore, it’s a mismatch between the skills that is needed, in order to create jobs, and the unemployment rate that we currently have in the country.”

Youth unemployment on the rise among those with post-matric qualifications:

In April, it was reported that the national average sits squarely as the worst globally, labour underutilization at its worst.

The statistics note that women are being absorbed into employment as domestic workers in their droves.

The recently released quarterly labour force survey, yet again, showed an economy that cannot create jobs.

One of the most startling results is the employment increase attributed to private households.

Households are reported as the biggest contributor to an increase in employment at 129 000. Not construction, manufacturing, or transport, which contracted by up to 14.7% compared to the last quarter.