Tag: economic growth

The rapid change in retail and trade networks caused by the global pandemic has highlighted how logistics – and air logistics in particular – is crucial to the economy. The first wave of lockdowns brought an urgent need for personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, gowns, and face shields, as well as sanitising products.

It’s that time again, early in the new year, when we are speculating as to what 2022 may hold, in this case for the property part of the South African economy. In a still-weak, albeit improved, economy with rising interest rates, property market fireworks don’t appear to be on the cards this year.

South Africa has one of the highest unemployment rates globally, which results in significant economic challenges. It has also created a growing contingent of discouraged job seekers, who have effectively given up on trying to secure employment, which exacerbates the issue.

Free economies do not come about by chance. They are the result of the conscious creation of a business environment that is conducive to a high level of entrepreneurial activity and that has a minimum of bureaucratic red tape.

Statistics South Africa has published the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QFLS) for Q3 2021, showing how continued lockdown restrictions, load shedding, and the July riots impacted jobs in the country. The results show that the number of employed persons decreased by 660,000 in the third quarter of 2021 to 14.3 million.

There has certainly been plenty of foolishness, as a new generation of day-traders have pushed meme stocks, special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and cryptos to ridiculous levels. Battle-hardened investment professionals have not been immune to bouts of irrational exuberance either.

South Africa loses R700 million a day for every stage of Eskom’s rolling blackouts. Given these catastrophic economic challenges created by the collapse of electricity infrastructure, an urgent alternative energy supply is needed to stabilise the grid.

The construction industry can play a critical role in helping address the recent hard knocks to the South African economy, but it needs the willingness and, more importantly, the action of all stakeholders to succeed. This was the overwhelming sentiment at a recent conference hosted by Construction Alliance South Africa (CASA) and headline we sponsored.

A 'new' economic school of thought has emerged and gained mass popularity over the recent years. Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), seeks to challenge the mainstream consensus across the economic spectrum. What exactly is MMT and could it work to address South Africa’s economic woes?

Global Entrepreneurship Week celebrated entrepreneurs and aims to inspire more young people to make their mark in society. It's a timely reminder that we need to support youth entrepreneurship in South Africa to address our unemployment crisis and catalyse economic growth.