Long-term unemployment is a problem facing policymakers as they seek to address joblessness, statistician general Pali Lehohla said on Thursday.
"We see that 1.4 million people have been out of jobs for more than five years. Now, is it possible to rehabilitate such people?" Lehohla asked while presenting Stats SA's 2014 third quarter labour force survey in Pretoria.
"Policy has to now focus on those who have been out of jobs for more than five years. Is there a small step for rescue or are you condemned?"
A total of 1.1m people had been out of work for one to three years, 1m for three to five years, 739,900 for six months to a year, and 737,000 people for less than six months.
"What do you prioritise? Do you prioritise those who have just been short-term out of employment or those who are long-term?" Lehohla asked.
Of unemployed black people, 67.3 percent were in long-term unemployment, 64.8 percent of unemployed Indians and Asians, 59.9 percent of unemployed coloureds, and 50.1 percent of unemployed whites.
The Free State had the highest official unemployment rate, at 34.6 percent, followed by the Northern Cape (29.7), Eastern Cape (29.5), Mpumalanga (29.3), North West (26.8), Gauteng (24.6), KwaZulu-Natal (24.1), Western Cape (23.6), and Limpopo (15.9).
The national official unemployment rate was 25.4 percent, while the expanded unemployment rate was 35.8 percent.
Those considered unemployed were aged 15 to 64 actively looking for work, or who tried starting a business in the weeks preceding Stats SA's survey.
The expanded unemployment rate included those no longer actively searching for work.
In Mpumalanga, 71 percent of the unemployed were in the long-term category.
The Free State was second (69.9), Gauteng (69.1), North West (65.8), KwaZulu-Natal (64.6), Limpopo (61.9), Eastern Cape (61.5), Western Cape (61.3), and Northern Cape (56.3).
Long-term unemployment a challenge: Lehohla
Long-term unemployment is a problem facing policymakers as they seek to address joblessness, statistician general Pali Lehohla said on Thursday.
"We see that 1.4 million people have been out of jobs for more than five years. Now, is it possible to rehabilitate such people?" Lehohla asked while presenting Stats SA's 2014 third quarter labour force survey in Pretoria.
"Policy has to now focus on those who have been out of jobs for more than five years. Is there a small step for rescue or are you condemned?"
A total of 1.1m people had been out of work for one to three years, 1m for three to five years, 739,900 for six months to a year, and 737,000 people for less than six months.
"What do you prioritise? Do you prioritise those who have just been short-term out of employment or those who are long-term?" Lehohla asked.
Of unemployed black people, 67.3 percent were in long-term unemployment, 64.8 percent of unemployed Indians and Asians, 59.9 percent of unemployed coloureds, and 50.1 percent of unemployed whites.
The Free State had the highest official unemployment rate, at 34.6 percent, followed by the Northern Cape (29.7), Eastern Cape (29.5), Mpumalanga (29.3), North West (26.8), Gauteng (24.6), KwaZulu-Natal (24.1), Western Cape (23.6), and Limpopo (15.9).
The national official unemployment rate was 25.4 percent, while the expanded unemployment rate was 35.8 percent.
Those considered unemployed were aged 15 to 64 actively looking for work, or who tried starting a business in the weeks preceding Stats SA's survey.
The expanded unemployment rate included those no longer actively searching for work.
In Mpumalanga, 71 percent of the unemployed were in the long-term category.
The Free State was second (69.9), Gauteng (69.1), North West (65.8), KwaZulu-Natal (64.6), Limpopo (61.9), Eastern Cape (61.5), Western Cape (61.3), and Northern Cape (56.3).
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