Disillusionment and desperation often accompany unemployment. Unemployment insurance - soon to be expanded to more sectors - can help to relieve some of the symptoms, but what is of course needed is the creation of a sufficient number of sustainable job opportunities to absorb the unemployed.
To this end, most economists agree that sustained real GDP growth of around 5 to 6 per cent per annum is needed. Whereas South Africa barely managed to record an average growth rate of 1,5 per cent per annum during the 1980s, this has indeed accelerated to around 3 per cent per annum since 1994. Nevertheless, a significant and sustained further improvement is needed.