THE government's target of creating five million jobs by 2020 will require 40% growth in employment over the next decade, a survey has found.

"The increase in public sector employment is not a sustainable solution to our unemployment problem," researcher Lucy Holborn said yesterday.

"The public sector wage bill already accounts for a third of all government spending."

The survey was conducted by the SA Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR). The organisation looks into aspects of South Africans' standard of living from unemployment to health and education issues.

The 800-page report, which has been produced every year since 1946, will be released next week.

Six researchers gathered the information for the most recent report, using data from Stats SA and other official and unofficial sources. Holborn, who is the research manager of the SAIRR, said the national job growth rate would have to increase eight-fold if employment targets were to be met.

The current government employment rate was growing four times faster than total employment.

Total employment grew by 5% over the last decade from 12.5-million people employed in 2001 to13.1-million in 2011.

During the same period jobs in the public sector grew by 22%.

Of the 1.3-million public service employees, about 450000 were teachers and nurses and 190000 in the SA Police Service.

This was according to information given by the Department of Public Service and Administration.

"In addition to the1.3-million working for national and provincial government, there are a quarter of a million people working for local governments, and several hundreds of thousands working in public institutions such as parastatals and Section Nine institutions.

However, an exact figure has not been published by the government," Holborn said.