Only about 43% of SA's adults work. In most countries, the figure is 60% or more'

SA's unemployment crisis is the deepest in the world and the forthcoming jobs summit needs to grapple with the scale and horrendous consequences of mass unemployment. This is something that President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged earlier this year when he said that the summit "will need to take extraordinary measures to create jobs on a scale that we have never before seen in this country".

Despite Africa’s impressive growth in past 25 years and its entry into the digital economy, the job market continues to be in a depressed state as youth unemployment continues to rise.

South Africa’s primary agricultural employment in the third quarter of the year improved by 1% from the previous quarter to 807 882.

The generation of quality jobs as part of regional and national economic growth and development process is central to ensuring sustainable and inclusive growth.

Putting the agricultural employment landscape into perspective

In 2020/21, the total SA commercial white and yellow maize areas increased (compared to the 2019/20 season) with the total maize area increasing by an estimated 145 000 hectares.

South Africa is sitting on a ticking time bomb — or a once-in-a-generation opportunity. With one of the world’s youngest populations among major emerging economies and the highest youth unemployment rates globally, the country must invest now in skills and higher education or risk a deepening crisis.