The changing structure of South Africa’s labour market means the country is unlikely to see any reduction in its high levels of unemployment. This is one of the key findings of the latest Fast Facts report published by the Institute of Race Relations on Tuesday.
IRR analyst Gabriela Mackay notes: “This is particularly worrying as the change in structure means that there is no longer a large low and semi-skilled sector capable of absorbing the bulk of the labour force lacking the skills and education to find jobs in the skilled sector.
"Today‚ education is the key factor; the absorption rate is highest for those with a tertiary education‚ at 75.6%‚ while for those with matric it is 50.3%.”
Another worrying trend in the report is that South Africa’s overall labour force absorption remains low at 43.3%‚ with young black people being most affected by unemployment: