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Today's release by Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for Q3:24 attests to our foremost commitment to South Africans: sustainable, inclusive economic growth and meaningful job creation.

From the previous quarter, our unemployment rate decreased marginally by 1.4% from 33.5% to 32.1%, with the Western Cape now below 20% unemployment.

On a year-on-year basis, our unemployment rate has increased by 0.2, from 32.6% in Q2:2023 to 32.8% in this quarter.

Our unemployment queue now sits at 8 million South Africans long, a decrease of 373 000.

These results, however, must be viewed more broadly.

Our youth unemployment continues to sit unacceptably high at 43.2%

In the expanded definition, which includes South Africans discouraged to seek work or economically inactive, our unemployment rate continues to sit at a high 41.9%

This is why the DA has fought strongly for pro-jobs measures to be included in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, unveiled recently. These include:

A plan to reduce Government debt to ensure Government expenditure goes to frontline services.

No more bailouts, which have depleted our fiscus by hundreds of billions of rands.

No new taxes and a final end to e-tolls, as our tax burden already sits too high.

A partnership with the private sector for its capabilities and investment.

Bold structural reforms, including breaking Eskom's power monopoly for cheaper electricity prices; allowing private sector access to freight rail to boost trade efficiency; and a plan to address weak service delivery within local governments.

We are particularly encouraged to note that construction contributed 176 000 new jobs in the last quarter.

This is a strong indication that work done by Public Works and Infrastructure is having positive impacts, and South Africa is in deed turning into a construction site.

This, together with work done in other DA ministries, such as bilateral trade agreements in agriculture, and the introduction of a Remote Work Visitor Visa and a Points-Based System for Work Visas for attracting foreign investment, will assist in positioning South Africa as a world-class destination for skilled talent and tourism, further contribution to future growth, and job creation.

Addressing our unemployment crisis is a battle the DA remains committed to.

We seek a South Africa with opportunities for all - and we will continue to fight for it.

Issued by John Steenhuisen MP - Leader of the Democratic Alliance