SA employment figures down
Employment in South Africa has declined slightly over the last year, although earnings increased ahead of inflation. These are among the figures in Statistics SA’s Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) survey of enterprises in the formal non-agricultural business...
Unemployment burdens youth
While unemployment across the board in South Africa is increasing, the youth aged 15 to 34 have borne the brunt of the global economic crisis and the subsequent sluggish employment recovery with a higher unemployment rate than adults. According to Statistics SA’s report, National and provincial labour market: Youth – Q1: 2008 – Q1: 2015, the unemployment rate among youth rose from 32,7% in 2008 to 36,1% in 2011, and has remained between 35% and 37% every year.
Initiative upskills Joburg’s youth
A new programme that focuses on teaching young people Web programming and entrepreneurship will ultimately tie up with similar initiatives to make Johannesburg a smarter and more innovative city. The programme is a partnership between SAP, Simplon and the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown and aims to advance youth skills development among graduate students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds. David Kramer, CEO of the Sci Bono Discover Centre, says the programme could ultimately link up with Wits University’s Tshomolong Precinct in Braamfontein to form a digital corridor and exchange resources.
Dino sheds light on Gondwana
South African and Argentinian palaeontologists have discovered a new early dinosaur from South Africa. The specimen was found in the late 1930s in the Zastron area of South Africa, about 30km from the Lesotho border. For a long time the remains of the dinosaur just languished on the shelves in the collections at the Evolutionary Science Institute (ESI) (then the Bernard Price Institute) in Johannesburg. A few years ago it was studied and considered to represent the remains of another South Africa dinosaur, Aardonyx.
The state of SA’s start-ups
South Africa’s start-up industry isn’t for the faint-hearted. According to a new survey by Ventureburn, employees and founders of start-ups are often paid below-market salaries, get close to zero benefits and are subject to high-pressure environments. Moreover, just 17% of start-ups are profitable, with only 3% making it to the sought-after venture capital investment stages.