Unemployment: Register your CV
The unemployment rate increased by 1.8% from the first to the second quarter of 2021, placing it at 34.4% according to Statistics South Africa (StatsSA).
POLOKWANE – A local PhD candidate in economics at the University of Witwatersrand, Baneng Naape, explains that according to StatsSA, the official unemployment rate is calculated using the number of persons who are employed and unemployed and does not include discouraged work seekers.
He says under normal circumstances, information about changes in the labour market is collected through self-structured questionnaires in the form of face-to-face interviews and reported through the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS).
“The targeted population for this survey is South African residents between the ages of 15 and 64 years. These individuals are considered as the economically active population in South Africa and globally. The reliability of survey estimates has long been questioned and criticised by experts in the field in terms of the definition used and assumptions laid out. It is worth noting however, that Statistics South Africa uses modern econometric techniques to estimate the unemployment rate, which makes it near accurate. However, this does not mean that the estimates are without error.”
Baneng believes that the official definition of unemployment used by StatsSA does not provide a fair representation of the situation in South Africa given that discouraged job seekers are not accounted for. He says the reality is that the cost of seeking work in South Africa remains high while the chances of finding work in South Africa are extremely low amid the highly competitive labour market, skills mismatches in the labour market and the economic environment.
He adds that certain individuals may be discouraged to seek work in the face of discrimination, social, structural and cultural barriers. In order to help residents get jobs, Polokwane Observer previously spoke to labour spokesperson, Lerato Mashamba who said anyone can go to www.labour.gov.za and register as an individual user, which will allow you to register and upload your CV.
Mashamba says the CV should include your personal details, contact information, a physical address, educational background, skills, employment history and references for consideration.
“Anyone can submit their CV or register online, irrespective of their qualification level, as there are job opportunities that do not require any formal qualifications. The same portal allows companies with vacancies to register their vacancies and get help finding prospective employees.”
Once a CV is uploaded onto the system it will be matched against the job opportunities that are registered by the employers and if a CV matches the requirements of a particular employer then the CV will be referred to that employer for further selection process such as interviews and selection tests where applicable. This is a free service from the department.
According to Mashamba, the department experience problems with people who do not answer their phones when they have been matched by the system for job opportunities and people who do not submit their qualifications once the system has matched them.
“Another challenge is youth that does not want to attend the learnerships that we have in order for them to learn a particular skill that will enhance their employability.”
