It has always been a prevalent feature of SA cities and towns: men in blue overalls standing on street corners holding up signs advertising their skills and hoping for passing cars to pick them up so they can earn a living that day.
This was the public picture of unemployment in our country, ingrained in our national psyche.
In recent years, the pool of joblessness has expanded and so too the profile of those who are unemployed.
This week Stats SA told us that 660,000 people lost their jobs in the third quarter of this year.
That’s more than half a million people who have families and responsibilities now thrown into the abyss of hopelessness.
At last count 34.9% of our working population was unemployed.
Also alarming is the rapid rate at which our economy is shedding jobs.
Unemployment under the expanded definition increased 2.2 percentage points to 46.6% from the previous quarter.
Moreover, the department of social development tells us that 68% of people who applied for the social relief of distress grant had matric or a higher qualification.
Most of them are under 34.
This means notwithstanding our skills challenges, the bottom line is that our economy is unable to place people in jobs, regardless of their level of education or skills set.
Let’s state the obvious – this is our biggest national crisis.
Despite pledges, job summits and many other talk shops, it continues to worsen unabated and accelerated even further due to Covid-19.
This is what should preoccupy our national discourse.
Importantly, it should drive our collective efforts to promote favourable conditions for businesses to create jobs and to practically make it easier for those looking for work to access opportunities.
Delivery on job targets should be a non-negotiable measure of fitness for leaders to hold office.
Anything less is not good enough and will not help us get out of this quagmire.
The grim numbers above do not only tell the story of a young nation robbed of its potential, they should also serve as a warning that poverty and inequality remain the biggest threat to our national stability.
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