
UASA Media Release: 28 March 2023
Statement by Abigail Moyo, spokesperson of the trade union UASA:
While the total employment increase of 0,5% quarter-on-quarter in the last quarter of 2022 is pleasing, South Africa’s unemployment woes are still far from over.
StatsSA announced this morning in its Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) that total employment had increased by 48 000 or 0,5% in the last quarter of last year, from 9 920 000 in September 2022 to 9 968 000 in December 2022.
Increases were primarily reported in trade (49 000 or 2,3%), business services (9 000 or 0,4%) and mining (2 000 or 0,4%). A notable decrease was recorded in construction (-10 000 or -1,9%), manufacturing (-1 000 or -0,1%) and electricity (-1 000 or -1,7%).
Total employment decreased by 94 000 or -0,9% year-on-year between December 2021 and December 2022. In an actively industrialised country like ours, an unemployment rate of 32,7% is surreal and unsustainable.
In reality, more jobs are needed, as more young people remain unemployed than before. Without jobs, South Africans will continue to sink into poverty as the cost of living becomes unsustainable.
The question remains whether the government will ever respond and act proactively to the unemployment crisis.
UASA encourages South Africans to continue buying and using locally made products and services to help our economy recover and stabilise job losses. Building our economy to where it will benefit all South Africans starts with us.
For further enquiries or to set up a personal interview, contact Abigail Moyo at 065 170 0162.