SowetanLive reports that according to ANC chairperson of economic development Mmamoloko Kubayi, tangible progress is being made to address the issue of unemployment.

She was reacting to Stats SA's Quarterly Labour Force Survey covering the second quarter of the year, which showed a slight 0.6% drop in the unemployment rate. Unemployment decreased to 33.9% in the second quarter from the 34.5% recorded in the first quarter. Kubayi said the ANC was encouraged by the figures, while noting that the rate of unemployment was still “unacceptably high”. “Although both unemployment and employment increased among the youth, there was a net decrease in youth unemployment rate by 1.3 percentage points in the second quarter. However, youth unemployment remains a big concern. We will ensure that the ANC-led administration sustains this progress across all sectors of our economy,” she commented. Kubayi said the ANC would continue to mobilise society around an infrastructure-led recovery with new investments in energy; water and sanitation; roads and bridges; human settlements; health and education; digital infrastructure; and public transport. “To achieve significant job creation multipliers, the emphasis will be on localisation, including maximising the use of South African materials and construction companies as well as labour-intensive method,” she explained.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Nomazima Nkosi at SowetanLive

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