- Official unemployment fell from 32% to 30.2%, while the estimated number of people employed increased by just 1,000.
- Nearly 892,000 young people in Limpopo were neither working nor in education or training.
Limpopo’s falling unemployment rate is no reason to celebrate, the DA says, with the province recording barely any employment growth.
Statistics South Africa’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey shows that official unemployment declined from 32% in April to June to 30.2% in July to September.
But the estimated number of employed people increased by only 1,000, reaching about 1.513 million.
The number counted as officially unemployed fell by about 60,000, while the number outside the labour force increased by 70,000. The lower unemployment rate therefore did not reflect a large increase in employment.
DA provincial leader Jacques Smalle blamed poor governance and unreliable municipal services for holding back investment and job creation.
He argued that businesses cannot grow where water, electricity, roads and other infrastructure are failing.
Smalle said Limpopo should be creating more opportunities from its agriculture, mining, tourism, manufacturing and logistics sectors, rather than seeing residents leave to find work elsewhere.
The figures show particularly difficult conditions for young people.
About 892,000 Limpopo residents aged 15 to 34 were neither employed nor in education or training, 41.9% of that age group.
Only 36.5% of the province’s working-age population was employed, compared with 39.7% nationally.
The broader measure combining unemployment and the potential labour force stood at 46.1%. Although lower than the previous quarter’s 46.7%, it remained one percentage point above a year earlier.
Nationally, young people also faced worsening conditions.
There were 417,000 fewer employed people aged 15 to 34 than a year earlier. Among those aged 15 to 24, unemployment rose from 58.5% to 63.6% over that period. Only 9.8% of people in that age group were employed.
Youth Capital, an advocacy organisation tackling youth unemployment, called for predictable funding over several years to support at least one million quality paid public employment opportunities annually.
“Public employment requires a permanent commitment, not a stop-and-go budget strategy that ignores the ongoing crisis of unemployment,” said project lead Buhlebethu Magwaza.
“In a labour market that is not generating enough opportunities, public employment is one of the few instruments the government already has that can create work and income for the growing number of unemployed.”
For Nsovo Mthembi, a 22-year-old unemployed graduate from Sekgopo village, the figures reflect an unsettling reality.
She said it was frightening to see so many young people without jobs. While continuing to search for work in human resources, she believes starting a small business could offer a way to earn an income.
