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The labour department should be leading debates on the crisis and how the platform economy, climate change and AI affect jobs
11 July 2025 – 11:53
by Duma Gqubule
The great labour market statistics debate of 2025 has shown that ignorance about the measurement of employment and unemployment is on steroids. Capitec CEO Gerrie Fourie started the debate when he said Stats SA did not count self-employment and that the official unemployment rate was closer to 10% than the reported 32.9%. A debate in parliament’s standing committee on finance was like a comedy show as ANC MPs showed they had the statistical literacy of children in a school playground.
Lusizo Makhubela said the expanded definition of unemployment included housewives who chose not to work. Seaparo Sekoati said the definition included people who were engaged in the informal sector, which was not accounted for. “There is no crisis in this country. Yes, we have challenges, but it is not a crisis,” he said. In a rambling essay, employment & labour minister Nomakhosazana Meth made so many false statements it is difficult to decide where to start. We have a problem if the minister o…
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