Stats SA recently released official unemployment figures covering the period when national lockdown hit SA, leading to a 16.4% contraction of the economy.

Concerns over the impact of Covid-19 on employment were confirmed with the disheartening reality that the unemployment rate had climbed to a record 32.5%, from 28.9% in 2019. Youth unemployment has reached a seemingly insurmountable 61.3%, and discouraged work-seekers are up 9.1%. A focus on immediate, quickly implemented successes, such as investments in the renewable energy sector, could revitalise the economy. ..

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