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Established in 2004
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Western Cape & South Africa - Social Issues
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26th January, 2007.
Population and employment factors in the Western Cape and South Africa. If official figures are to be believed, (by the Bureau of Market Research at University of South Africa), then the Western Cape is a magnet for the unemployed seeking work. Unemployment figures quoted today state that the Western Cape province has the lowest unemployment levels of the whole country at 15%, which attracts people to move here from all over South Africa. |
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Predictions for 2007 say that unemployment could reach 32.5% country-wide, compared to 26.9% for 2006.
Those with low or lower skills are predicted to be worse hit. Increasingly technical knowledge and experience are needed in South Africa’s industries, even in farming, mining, manufacturing and service industries.
The Free State, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and Kwazulu-Natal are the worst effected provinces, as these have recently seen reductions in their work forces in a reducing industry, gold mining. Improved farming and manufacturing techniques involving automation have also hit the work forces hard.
HIV/Aids is also a contributing factor, with Kwazulu-Natal being worst effected.
If South Africa is to hit its goal of halving unemployment by 2014, it is predicted that 700,000 new jobs need to be created each year, with an economic country growth rate of 8% to 9% per year, which is twice its 2006 rate. At current growth rates it is predicted that by 2014 the level of unemployment could be about 18% to 22%.
If big earnings are on your radar, then you should move to Gauteng (Jo’burg and Pretoria) as this is where 35% of the country’s highest incomes where achieved in 2006, with a total of R1.23 billion being earned by its work force.
The next closest provinces were the Western Cape and Kwazulu-Natal, altho’ only achieving half the income that Gauteng households were able to.
Gauteng household incomes among 36 to 45 year olds averaged at R183,000 per year, with graduate households earning on average R427,000 per year. As a marked contrast, households in the Eastern Cape headed by those with only primary school educations only brought home an average income of R29,000.
In 2001, 45% of Gauteng households were in the highest income bracket but consisted of only 1.1% of all the households in South Africa.
Another interesting find, in a separate report (by the Bureau of Market Research at University of South Africa) was that half of all the coloureds in South Africa live in the Western Cape province and that this population is set to raise over the next 5 years.
Migration by coloureds, from the Eastern and Northern Cape provinces shows an increase of 1.13% per year, from 2001 to 2006.
The white population is however declining in 7 of the 9 South Africa provinces. This is mainly down to very low birth rates, but some areas did have increases due to more increased city dwelling, namely in Gauteng and Kwazulu-Natal.
The Western Cape increased per year by 0.98% since 2001, to a current population of 4.5 million people.
The provinces with the oldest populations are the Western Cape, Gauteng and the Northern Cape. For example, the Western Cape has 6% of its population over 65 years old, in comparison to an average of 4.9% across South Africa.
For the under 20’s, the country’s average is 42%, with the Western Cape only having 34.4% in this young age bracket.
The Western Cape has also during these 5 years seen a marked increase in per capita incomes and educational standards, as well as a much lower than average HIV prevalence.
While some provinces (Eastern Cape and Limpopo) saw higher population growth due to increased numbers of births, the Western Cape saw its population increase due to migration of people from other provinces.
The Free State and Kwazulu-Natal were the slowest in population growth due to higher levels of HIV / Aids deaths than other provinces.
(Sourced from the Cape Town Sunday Times Newspaper - 26th January, 2007)
Those with low or lower skills are predicted to be worse hit. Increasingly technical knowledge and experience are needed in South Africa’s industries, even in farming, mining, manufacturing and service industries.
The Free State, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and Kwazulu-Natal are the worst effected provinces, as these have recently seen reductions in their work forces in a reducing industry, gold mining. Improved farming and manufacturing techniques involving automation have also hit the work forces hard.
HIV/Aids is also a contributing factor, with Kwazulu-Natal being worst effected.
If South Africa is to hit its goal of halving unemployment by 2014, it is predicted that 700,000 new jobs need to be created each year, with an economic country growth rate of 8% to 9% per year, which is twice its 2006 rate. At current growth rates it is predicted that by 2014 the level of unemployment could be about 18% to 22%.
If big earnings are on your radar, then you should move to Gauteng (Jo’burg and Pretoria) as this is where 35% of the country’s highest incomes where achieved in 2006, with a total of R1.23 billion being earned by its work force.
The next closest provinces were the Western Cape and Kwazulu-Natal, altho’ only achieving half the income that Gauteng households were able to.
Gauteng household incomes among 36 to 45 year olds averaged at R183,000 per year, with graduate households earning on average R427,000 per year. As a marked contrast, households in the Eastern Cape headed by those with only primary school educations only brought home an average income of R29,000.
In 2001, 45% of Gauteng households were in the highest income bracket but consisted of only 1.1% of all the households in South Africa.
Another interesting find, in a separate report (by the Bureau of Market Research at University of South Africa) was that half of all the coloureds in South Africa live in the Western Cape province and that this population is set to raise over the next 5 years.
Migration by coloureds, from the Eastern and Northern Cape provinces shows an increase of 1.13% per year, from 2001 to 2006.
The white population is however declining in 7 of the 9 South Africa provinces. This is mainly down to very low birth rates, but some areas did have increases due to more increased city dwelling, namely in Gauteng and Kwazulu-Natal.
The Western Cape increased per year by 0.98% since 2001, to a current population of 4.5 million people.
The provinces with the oldest populations are the Western Cape, Gauteng and the Northern Cape. For example, the Western Cape has 6% of its population over 65 years old, in comparison to an average of 4.9% across South Africa.
For the under 20’s, the country’s average is 42%, with the Western Cape only having 34.4% in this young age bracket.
The Western Cape has also during these 5 years seen a marked increase in per capita incomes and educational standards, as well as a much lower than average HIV prevalence.
While some provinces (Eastern Cape and Limpopo) saw higher population growth due to increased numbers of births, the Western Cape saw its population increase due to migration of people from other provinces.
The Free State and Kwazulu-Natal were the slowest in population growth due to higher levels of HIV / Aids deaths than other provinces.
(Sourced from the Cape Town Sunday Times Newspaper - 26th January, 2007)
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