Tag: GigEconomy

The role of the nine-to-five is changing, and South Africa’s financial reality reflects this shift. According to the South African Reserve Bank, household debt levels remain high at around three-quarters of disposable income. Meanwhile, savings rates remain persistently low. This leaves many households with little room to absorb shocks, build long-term security and provide for retirement.

South Africa is entering what I call a leadership blackout, a slow but unmistakable dimming of the leadership pipeline that many organisations have not yet fully acknowledged. What makes this moment so unusual is that the crisis is not being driven by a lack of talent. It is being driven by a lack of desire.

A growing number of the youth are giving trade unions a pass - not out of disinterest, but disconnection. Traditional union structures feel increasingly out of step with the values, platforms and priorities of a new generation navigating digital workspaces, gig economies and fluid career paths.