Browsing All posts tagged under »statistics«

The potentially explosive reality of joblessness

February 19, 2020

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While some commentators clutch at straws of optimism, citing unchanged quarterly unemployment statistics, the reality is that what exists is not just a crisis, it is a tragedy of massive proportions with socially explosive potential.

Statistical facts and reality

February 18, 2020

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It is necessary to look behind the bald unemployment statistics to discover the truly frightening reality. An "official" rate of joblessness at 29.1% if far fromn the more accurate "expanded" figure of 38.7%. And even that does not reflect the true measure of unemployment in South Africa.

As SA elections loom: a call for clarity & organisation

January 13, 2019

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It's swings and roundabouts for the workers of the world, with the overall trajectory being fewer jobs and lower pay. This is the reality as the World Bank claims — citing China and India as prime examples — that global poverty is declining; the implication being that the economic system is working. It is not and it is, in fact, becoming increasingly destructive.

Lies, damned lies & statistics

July 1, 2018

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As austerity policies start to bite, it is essential that reliable statistical data be critical analysed and interpreted to avoid the distortions of such material by politicians and others with self-serving agendas to push. Only in this way will we be able to see a clear way forward, uninfluenced by political agendas that are all too frequently spiced with wishful thinking.

An economy riddled with a legacy of contradictions

January 20, 2011

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This chapter on the South African economy was written and submitted on August 3, 2007 for a proposed book. It was not published and the chapter was not submitted or published elsewhere. However, given developments to date this text may be of some interest to anyone concerned about economic developments in South Africa.

Some food for thought in 2011

December 17, 2010

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This is the last Inside Labour column for 2010. So I want to take this opportunity not only to wish all readers the best for the season and the coming year, but also to touch on some of the baggage — on a micro and macro level — being carried forward into 2011. At a […]

Turning the (non-existent) economic corner

November 24, 2010

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We have turned the corner economically. That is the ongoing claim from politicians, pundits and mainstream media commentators. But, as Federation of Unions of SA general secretary Dennis George has noted: “Growth without job creation is meaningless. It certainly is for the overwhelming majority of the population, and this is a situation that applies across the world, although not in any uniform manner. For all the optimistic pronouncements, the global economic crisis continues and there is no sign that it is ending.