Tabling the 2021/22 budget votes in the Provincial Legislature, the MEC for Public Works, Fufe Makatong, and Education MEC, Zolile Monakali, have expressed concern at the level of unemployment in the province, stating that more must be done to create job and business opportunities for the youth. 

Whilst Monakali placed great emphasis on equal education for all, despite challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Makatong outlined that investment in businesses owned by women and the youth is of great importance. She announced that her department will ensure that the youth are at the forefront of key infrastructure projects in the province.

The latest unemployment figures by Statistics SA reveal that the unemployment rate in the country, for the first quarter of 2021, stands at 32.6%, the highest since the start of Stats SA's Quarterly Labour in 2008.

The quarterly labour force survey shows that young people are still struggling in the South African labour market. Whilst the official unemployment rate was 32,6%, this rate was 46,3% among young people aged 15 – 34 years.

The Northern Cape recorded a 23,4% unemployment rate.

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