BOSA to interrogate government ministers as unemployment line grows by almost half a million people in just one year

Today Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) released the Quarter Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for Q1: 2025, confirming the government’s inability to tackle our country’s stagnant, unequal economy and its stubbornly high unemployment rate.

The unemployment line has grown by almost half a million people in just one year. There are now 11.7 million South Africans who are able and willing to work but cannot find employment – 427 000 more year-on-year.

For far too long, government departments and ministers have promised job creation while presiding over an economy that simply does not grow and a labour market that fails to absorb new entrants.

Ministers must be held accountable as high unemployment persists unabated. BOSA will therefore be submitting a formal set of parliamentary questions to interrogate the performance of key departments responsible for economic growth and employment. This includes:

• The Minister of Finance,
• The Minister of Employment and Labour,
• The Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition,
• The Minister of Small Business Development, and
• The Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.

The questions will demand clear, measurable answers to the following:

• Which specific programmes have yielded jobs, and how many per programme?
• What is the average cost per job created through departmental programmes and incentives?
• What percentage of the departmental budget is reaching actual entrepreneurs and workers?
• What monitoring mechanisms are in place to track employment outcomes per intervention?

The era of vague commitments without accountability must come to an end. BOSA is committed to driving transparency and performance in government.

Only through rigorous oversight, data-driven policy, and leadership that puts South Africans first can we unlock inclusive economic growth and real job creation. That is why BOSA has put forward a Growth Charter – a credible, detailed blueprint to grow the economy at 5% and create the jobs our country so urgently needs.

Ahead of next Wednesday’s tabling of the National Budget, BOSA will continue to engage citizens and stakeholders on our Growth Charter, which is the surest way to creating new jobs and cutting unemployment.