Summit offers hope for unemployment
To what extent will agriculture contribute to this
Last week, the National Economic Development & Labour Council (Nedlac) convened a presidential jobs summit focused on combating SA's stubbornly high unemployment rate. Nedlac's social partners, business, labour, the government and the community, agreed to initiatives expected to create 275,000 jobs a year, which would drive unemployment down to 6% by 2030. To what extent will agriculture contribute to this? A couple of analysts view this sector as a nonstarter when it comes to job creation. They typically raise the issue of the fourth industrial revolution, and the basic development theory that, as nations develop, the role of agriculture, at least from a jobs perspective, diminishes as people move to manufacturing and services sectors. Though that sentiment has some validity, it's worth noting that many emerging markets and developed countries still have a huge chunk of people working in agriculture, even though this number may have declined significantly. For instance, Turkey's ag...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.