Unemployment and Employment

Question 1

Define unemployment

Answer 1

Someone who is able to work, wishes to work and is looking for work but cannot find a job

Question 2

What is employment

Answer 2

The engagement of labour in the productive activity for which they receive a remuneration

Question 3

Why do people move to certain areas (6)

Answer 3

Better economic opportunities
Employment opportunities
Better living conditions
Better climate
Access to water resources
Fertility of soil

Question 4

What are the 3 classifications for someone being unemployed according to the StatsSA survey

Answer 4

Person did not work during the seven days prior to the survey
Person wants to work and is available to start work within a week of the survey
Person has taken active steps to look for work or start a business in the four weeks prior to the survey

Question 5

What are the 4 types of unemployment

Answer 5

Frictional unemployment
Cyclical unemployment
Structural unemployment
Seasonal unemployment

Question 6

What is Frictional unemployment

Answer 6

When a person is between jobs or is looking for a job for the first time. Supposed to be a short period of time

Question 7

What is Cyclical unemployment

Answer 7

Result of cyclical changes or fluctuations of the economy. i.e. a recession

Question 8

What is Structural unemployment

Answer 8

When the nature of the economy changes and the skills of the labour force do not match the needs of the economy or technology used

Question 9

What is Seasonal unemployment

Answer 9

When workers in a particular occupation are only needed for part of the year. i.e. fruit-pickers are only needed during the harvest

Question 10

What are characteristics of South Africa’s unemployment (Four)

Answer 10

Lack of education and correct skills
Young people are more likely to be unemployed
Gender
Race

Question 11

What type of unemployment do we mostly have in South Africa

Answer 11

Structural unemployment

Question 12

Why is the number of unemployed, unskilled workers increasing in South Africa

Answer 12

Due to structural changes in our economy

Question 13

What are 3 structural changes that have taken place in the South African Economy

Answer 13

Mechanisation means machines do the work previously done by unskilled or low-skilled workers
Globalisation means that South Africa has to compete with other economies to produce goods and services
Primary sector is becoming less important

Question 14

What are 4 causes of unemployment

Answer 14

Population Increase
Capital investment and mechanisation
Historic Reasons
Economic Cycles (Recession)

Question 15

What are the 3 effects of unemployment

Answer 15

Poverty
Social Problems
Cost to the taxpayers

Question 16

What is the Unemployment Insurance Fund

Answer 16

A fund that provides money to people who have recently been in formal employment and have contributed to the fund

Question 17

What is an example of a social problem caused by unemployment

Answer 17

High crime rates as people turn to crime to provide for their family

Question 18

What are 3 government programmes used to solve unemployment

Answer 18

GEAR
ASGI-SA
JIPSA

Question 19

What is GEAR

Answer 19

Growth, Employment And Redistribution policy

Question 20

What was the goal of ASGI-SA

Answer 20

To halve poverty and unemployment by 2014

Question 21

What is JIPSA and why was it created

Answer 21

The Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition - It was created to identify scarce skills needed to grow the economy

Question 22

What are the 5 approaches to solving the problem of unemployment

Answer 22

Government Programmes
Growth of Production
Public Works Programmes
Unemployment Insurance fund
Economically Marginalised groups

Question 23

How does growth of production benefit the economy

Answer 23

An increase in demand creates the need for an increase in production which means more people have to be employed and thus reduces unemployment

Question 24

What is an example of a public works programme and what does it do

Answer 24

The National Public Works Programme was started in 1994 to upgrade SA’s infrastructure and provide job opportunities at the same time. It employs many unskilled people

Question 25

What are economically marginalised groups

Answer 25

The people who have not been part of the economy in the past

Question 26

What are the 3 ways the government aims to assist marginalised groups

Answer 26

Skills development
Correcting past policies
Employment equity act and affirmative action

Question 27

What has the government introduced to improve the skills of marginalised South Africans

Answer 27

Skills Development Act

Question 28

What does the Employment Equity Act and Affirmative Action mean

Answer 28

Employers must give preference to people of colour, women and people living with disabilities when recruiting workers

Question 29

What is BBBEE

Answer 29

Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment