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ActionSA welcomes the news that 248 000 jobs were created in the third quarter of this year, as indicated in Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released today. 

While this is a positive development, South Africa remains in the grip of a joblessness crisis, with 12 million South Africans still without work. Any improvement must therefore be seen not as a cause for celebration, but as an opportunity to do far more to unlock sustained job creation.

Taking a holistic view of the year, the country still experienced a net decrease in employment of 24,000, following a 291,000 job loss in the first quarter, a marginal increase of 19,000 in the second quarter, and 248,000 in the third. The rebound in Q3 is therefore a recovery from earlier losses, not yet a sign of structural improvement.

The QLFS shows that job gains were concentrated in construction (+130,000), trade (+108,000), and community and social services (+116,000), while losses occurred in manufacturing (-62,000), finance (-54,000), and utilities (-30,000). These shifts underline the fragility of the recovery.

Although the official unemployment rate declined from 33.2% to 31.9%, and the combined labour underutilisation rate (now reported as the LU3 rate) declined slightly to 42.4%, these figures still reflect an economy unable to absorb its workforce and a government without a credible plan. 

South Africa cannot afford to accept a 31.9% unemployment rate as normal. Every South African deserves the dignity of work, and ActionSA will continue to advance policies that place job creation and economic inclusion at the heart of government priorities, a commitment the GNU has clearly not demonstrated. 

Issued by ActionSA Member of Parliament Alan Beesley