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Cape Town - South Africans with only Grade 11 next to their names are the ones struggling most to find work - more than 36% of people in this category are without jobs.
About 33% of people with only a Grade 9 or 10 have no work; while more than 31% of those with more than a primary school education, but no matric, are unemployed.
In contrast, less than 4% of the country's graduates are without work.
These percentages clearly show on which level work is being created, says economist Mike Schüssler in the sixth South African employment review released this week. Schüssler compiles the report every six months for the union Uasa.
"South Africa is going through a serious skills crisis, but the statistics show that the government's increasing spending on education has little impact.
"To call the skills shortage an urban legend is like committing high treason," says Schüssler.
He was referring to Black Management Forum President Jimmy Manyi's recent outburst that the skills crisis is no more than an urban legend and is caused by employers' preference to employ white graduates instead of blacks.
"The fact is that only 30.9% of SA adults complete their school education, compared with the average 41.3% in other emerging markets.
"At least 69.8% of people in emerging markets have completed their high school education, 125% more than in South Africa," says Schüssler.
Four times less South Africans go to university than the average for other emerging countries and those that do graduate, seek employment abroad.
"Because of the resultant huge shortage of graduates, South African graduates earn up to 12 times more (1 110%) than the average worker who has no tertiary education. This compares with other emerging markets where graduates only earn 64% more than the average unskilled worker does.
Schüssler stresses that the shortage of artisans needs to be addressed as well.
Britain is currently training 250 000 artisans and plans are to double the figure by 2020.
In contrast, in SA the total number of NTC3-artisans has dropped since 2002 from 210 000 to 180 000.
"It will take time for the crisis to be addressed, but if it does not happen we will not be able to compete with the rest of the world. This will mean that SA cannot build a sustainable future."
- Rapport