Business Leadership SA says structural reforms key to solving unemployment crisis

Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) has warned that the country’s unemployment rate of 32.9 percent signals an economy “suffocating” under structural inefficiencies. The business lobby group says urgent reforms are needed to reverse the crisis.

The organisation recently launched its Reform Tracker, a tool designed to monitor the government’s progress in implementing priority reforms across the economy, governance, and criminal justice.

BLSA chief executive officer Busisiwe Mavuso said persistently high unemployment does more than damage the economy. “It fuels inequality, undermines social cohesion, and erodes faith in democratic institutions,” she said.

The Reform Tracker aims to hold authorities accountable while encouraging faster action to stimulate growth, improve investor confidence, and create jobs.