SowetanLive reports that the Public Service Commission (PSC) says it is concerned about the 10% vacancy rate in various provincial and national departments even while there is high youth unemployment in the country.  

On Wednesday, the PSC released its quarterly bulletin that showed that the public service remained the biggest employer in the country.  As at the end of June, the public service had over 125,000 vacant positions.  The provinces with highest vacancy rates were Eastern Cape and North West at 22% and 19% respectively, way over the required 10%.  The most significant decline in vacancy rate was in the Free State, where it dropped from 11.8% to 6.9%.  The national departments with the highest vacancy rates were Sport and Recreation (39.1%), Transport (28.1%), Rural Development and Land Reform (24.8%), and Social Development (22.4%).  PSC commissioner Michael Seloane was unimpressed even with those departments who are able to meet the 10% vacancy rate.  "Because of unemployment, it does not augur well that vacancies are not filled while people are unemployed.  We want to make sure that at all times that vacancy rate goes far below 10%," he said.

• Read this report by Penwell Dlamini in full at SowetanLive

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