Cape Town’s unemployment rate has dropped by 2.1%, while the national unemployment rate has increased to 27.5%. This makes it the ninth consecutive quarter in which the Mother City has shown positive employment growth.
Stats SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey 2018 also shows that Cape Town has also had the lowest expanded unemployment rate of all the country’s major cities.
“The number of Capetonians in employment has increased by 61 000 to 1.6 million people compared to the same time last year,” said City of Cape Town Executive Mayor, Patricia De Lille. “Cape Town’s growing employment is testament to the City’s efforts to create an enabling environment for businesses to invest and to create new jobs. Formal employment, which represents the bulk of employment in Cape Town, has increased again on both a quarter-to-quarter and year-on-year basis.”
More than 20 000 people are employed in the formal sector compared to the previous quarter this year.
“On a year-on-year basis, formal sector employment grew by 46 000. At present 1,32 million people are in formal employment in Cape Town while the informal sector employs 179 000, agriculture employs 21 000 and private households employ 87 000 people,” De Lille said. “The City is steadfast in its commitment to create an environment conducive for businesses to grow and create jobs, while we attract more local and foreign direct investment. The City’s own Department of Enterprise and Investment is supporting those sectors which are showing the most growth and potential to create jobs by assisting with skills training and other interventions.”
The City has also identified priority sectors that need special attention to secure more employment for residents. “These sectors have shown the most potential to grow and develop Cape Town’s economy and include business process outsourcing (BPO), craft and design, clothing and textiles, fashion, and the information communication and technology (ICT) sector,” De Lille added.
Despite Cape Town’s dropping levels of unemployment, there are still 429 000 residents who are of working age but have not found employment yet and another 17 000 residents who have given up looking for employment.
The number of work-seekers has increased by 3 000 compared to the previous quarter.
“The whole of Cape Town must continue working hard in our efforts to make our economy more inclusive so that all our residents can enjoy the fruits of our democracy,” De Lille said.
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