Johannesburg – New matric graduates looking for employment face a daunting task as the South African job market remains under pressure.
South Africa’s official unemployment rate is 24.5%, according to Statistics SA, while almost a million workers lost their jobs in the year to end-September 2009.
“Even though there is talk about the end of the recession being in sight, learners need to realise that they have to upgrade their skills base for the South African job market,” said recruitment group Kelly’s executive Denise Thomas.
Excerpt from Fin24.com
I attended a meeting last night where the Western Cape MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism revealed some shocking statistics:
1. Of all the children who go to school in Grade 1, only 60% of them make it all the way to grade 12. The other 40% most likely become a burden to society.
2. Of all the children who go to school in grade 1 only 5% make it to a tertiary education. In Australia 75% of the children make it to a tertiary education.
I know the first thing the majority will do is claim to be previously disadvantaged or put the blame on the previous (15 years ago, what a joke) government.
I my opinion the biggest problem in South Africa is that we adopted a culture of rather blaming everything and everybody around us instead of doing something. It is easier to blame the previous or current government and then sit back and wait for a donation or miracle. It is sad to say but many people in South Africa adopted an entitlement syndrome – “It is the government’s duty to give da job”, “it is the government who must give education”, “It is my parents’ duty to look after me” .
Funny enough just after Mr Windy revealed the stats he also mentioned that the education department did a surprise visit on a school in the Western Cape. Of the 200 Matric students only 19 were in class at 09h00 in the morning. So it is da government’s duty to give me an education and that gives me a license to do whatever I want because it is not my responsibility, it is the education department’s responsibility that I get an education! How is that for prosperous thinking?
It is time that people take action and create their own life. Somebody else cannot do it for you. Waiting for a miracle or waiting for a job to fall from heaven will only keep you poor. I think that waiting for a job in general will keep you poor. Why sit around doing nothing while looking for a job. You might as well start your own money generating web site in the mean while so that you can at least earn something while you wait. Or you can join a MLM business. There are so many possibilities out there.
I receive many emails of people saying “but I do not have any money to start something”.
But I also receive emails from people saying “I washed cars for three days in a row to get money to buy your book or to get involved in MLM”
Why is it that some people will use any excuse they can not to do certain things.
It is your life, it is your future, only YOU can decide what you will achieve.