Question NW1418 to the Minister of Employment and Labour
19 May 2023 - NW1418
Cardo, Dr MJ to ask the Minister of Employment and Labour
With reference to the March 2023 South Africa Economic Outlook published by PwC South Africa which indicated a decrease in job creation for the Republic in 2023, what are the details of the Government’s strategies to address the challenges posed by load shedding and its impact on employment growth, particularly in sectors such as agriculture and private households that have experienced declines?
Reply:
Honourable Dr Cardo, we admit at the onset and remain worried about the impact of load shedding on our labour markets, and by extension the whole economy including the sectors you have mentioned,
That been the case I want to bring to your attention that despite this challenge the fourth quarter labour force survey report reflect about 860 000 people employed in primary agriculture (down 1% year on year), which is well above the long-term agricultural employment of 780 000. It is also important to note that this report also speaks about an increase in employment in private households by 54 000.
On your specific question about Government strategies to challenges posed by load shedding let me confirm that indeed Government is addressing the concern of energy security and supply.
You will know already that the Minister of Electricity is hard at work looking at potential measures to implement to avert load shedding.
This includes the extension of the use of coal fired earmarked for decommissioning. This we believe will contribute to stabilising the energy supply.
With regards to agriculture, be advised that the Department of Agriculture is working on the Master Plan for the sector. The intention of this plan is to trigger growth by improving both imports and exports for the sector.
END