Region's unemployment figures leave little to celebrate

SOUTH Africa is set to commemorate another National Youth Day on Monday but the youth say they still have little to celebrate when it comes to employment prospects, with the situation especially dire in the Eastern Cape.

According to the national and provincial labour market report on youth released by Statistics South Africa on June 5, the unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 34 in the Eastern Cape is a staggering 40.7%, increasing from 37.6% in 2008.

This is significantly higher than the 35 to 64 age group in the province, which has an unemployment rate of 17.3%, only slightly up from a figure of 16.6% in 2008.

The provincial figure is also much higher than the national average of 36.1% among 15- to 34-year-olds for this year, and 32.7% among 15- to 34-year-olds in 2008. - Lee-Anne Butler