Attention broadcasters: Find English audio clip from MPP Cayla Murray attached.
The Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the 2nd Quarter of 2022, released by Stats SA today, revealed that the DA-governed Western Cape has the lowest expanded unemployment rate in the country at 31.3%, which is 9% lower than the next best province, the Free State.
Further, the number of persons in the province not in employment, education or training (NEET) declined by 4.3%, compared to a 2.3% decline nationally.
It is encouraging to see that more young people are getting more opportunities, given that the youth make up the vast majority of our population. Today’s statistics show that we are on the right track for economic recovery.
While there has been a slight uptick in unemployment in the province, the number of people employed in the trade and finance industries in the Western Cape increased by 17.6% and 20.1%, respectively, once again proving that education is the surest route to employment in this country.
Initiatives from the DA-governed Western Cape Government, like the Red Tape Reduction Unit, investment and trade promotion and interventions to assist in making the Port of Cape Town more efficient have all contributed to the province having the lowest unemployment rate in the country.
The DA in the Western Cape will continue to fight to create an enabling environment for job creation, as the unemployment rate remains unacceptably high.