More jobs but fewer skills among blacks

Johannesburg - The rate of employment creation has increased since 1994 with black people benefiting the most, the presidency said on Monday.

The number of jobs created for blacks had almost doubled, said Deputy Minister in the Presidency Buti Manamela in a statement.

"Of the 6 million jobs created, 5.3 million was amongst blacks," he said.

Manamela was referring to a report on employment skills and unemployment in the country in the last two decades.

The report was compiled by Statistics SA.

Across all age groups for the skilled employed population, among Indians the increase was 26%, among whites the skilled increase was by 19%, among coloureds by 11% and blacks had the lowest increase at 3%.

Manamela said a closer look at the numbers, especially among the black youth aged between 20 and 34, told a disturbing story.

"It suggests that there is a generation of black Africans who through the period of 20 years lost out in acquiring skills whilst their white and Indian counterparts made major inroads in skills acquisition," he said.

"Amongst black Africans the skill decreased 3 percent whilst amongst white and Indians it grew well above 24 percent."

Manamela said this could be changed by focusing on future generations at school level.

He made a call for black youth to be encouraged to take science and technology as subjects.