time for take-off
Jobs summit: all talk, now for action
The jobs summit hasn’t delivered significant policy changes, but it has energised business and the government to tackle the jobs crisis together — something that could pay big dividends down the line
Anyone who was expecting last week’s jobs summit to deliver a grand bargain between business, labour and the government on policy reform that would shift the economy onto a more labour-intensive path would have been disappointed. Those concerned primarily with economic efficiency and SA’s fiscal sustainability would have been equally dismayed by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s summit undertaking to place a moratorium on public sector retrenchments. Nobody wants nurses, teachers, policemen and technical personnel to be axed — indeed, critical frontline posts should be filled urgently — but that is not where the fat lies in SA’s 1.3-million-strong bureaucracy. There has been excessive hiring and salary creep at a managerial level over many years. Ramaphosa has now guaranteed these overpaid, midlevel pen-pushers sheltered employment — something the fiscus can ill afford. Despite this, the summit still delivered for those hoping for a range of scalable, creative solutions to some of the blo...
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.