BUSINESS

Young, Gifted, Black and Potentially Unemployed

The “Gig” economy is simply, a labour market characterised by freelance, flexible, on-demand work rather than the more traditional nine-to- five working model.

For many young black females, the prospect of creating the career of your dreams is a reality lived out by few, despite what we may believe as we are so often exposed to, “on the gram”.

According to the Quarterly Labor Force Index (QLFS), a measure of employment numbers published by Statistics South Africa – the country recorded its highest rate of unemployment by peaking at 32.6%. The results of the QLFS show that the number of employed persons remained almost unchanged at 15 million in the first of quarter 2021. The number of unemployed persons also remained almost unchanged at 7.2 million compared to the fourth quarter of 2020 – an increase of 8,000. Reality creeps in once we take a look at the broader and expanded definition of unemployed in South Arica which includes those who are “discouraged job seekers” – which then increases to 43.2% in the first quarter compared to the fourth quarter of 2020.

The hardest hit – are young, black, females. These two groups are the most vulnerable.

The unemployment rate of black women is currently more than 30 percent.

The youth is also the most vulnerable group when it comes to finding a job.

Citizens like myself – young, black and female continue to find themselves on the periphery of economic inclusion despite concerted efforts, through policy to create space for them. In a country that prides itself on equality and creating equity – we need to ask ourselves, where did we go wrong?

South Africa’s economic blues started before Covid-19. In the throes of several technical recessions, struggling with low growth, muted investor confidence and increasing debt levels, our economy has been on the precipice of a crisis in terms of job creation. The fall out of the pandemic and subsequent lock downs have cost most women like myself – their livihoods … and even more so, their lives.

Consider the sectors of the economy that have been hardest hit – tourism, hospitality and leisure. Take a moment to reflect on the number of women who work in these sectors, as tour operators, restaurateurs, event coordinators and cleaners? In this sector alone, women make up about 70% of the workforce.

This picture is grimmer when you consider that employed black women are paid the least for their labour. According to data from Business Leadership South Africa, “the average monthly income for black female professionals is almost 30% less than their white contemporaries and more than 60% off the highest earners, white male professionals”.

Without the necessary structural and systemic changes to address this challenge, black women will remain mere observers to the economic opportunities in South Africa.

Can we fix it?

Sure we can. While South Africa has policies through the employment equity act to increase and encourage more women to be recruited in the work place, the sad reality is that for many, job search opportunities remain limited, especially as our economy struggles to recover from the economic fall out of the pandemic. While we can’t control how policy gets implemented, most women turn their focus to what they can.

Enter the “gig” economy and “side hustles”. Not new concepts, but the principles of these endeavours have been seen in our society before. The “Gig” economy is simply, a labour market characterised by freelance, flexible, on-demand work rather than the more traditional nine-to- five working model. Instead of being paid a regular salary, workers are paid for each ‘gig’ they do – package deliveries, cleaning services or being a virtual assistant. Recently workers in the gig economy continue to find jobs by registering on websites or apps and signing up for what they want to do. This way “marketing” their services to potential clients whilst opening themselves up to collaborate with peers in their industry.

“Side hustles” on the other hand is generally defined as anything outside your main source of income that adds money to your life. Think of it as keeping your 9 to 5 while selling a product or rendering a service on the side that augments this income – like selling homeware, make-up, catering on weekends or tutoring.

While these concepts may not be new, they can be leveraged in a new manner to multiply the participation of women in the economy – especially when the power of networks and social media are harnessed. By creating awareness around your product or service, marketing and collaborating with a circle of women in related spheres, there is no reason why this cannot be used as an effective base to have more women able to secure their own bag.

While this intervention may be a small step to addressing the deeper social construct of our economy – it does assist with three themes that are required in the leadership of an organization, no matter how big or small. 1. Leveraging networks – this opens up opportunities for business owners to meet mentors, sponsors and coaches along the way, who assist with the development of one’s leadership skills. 2. Collaboration – ever heard the proverb, if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go further, go together. Many women are often told to bow down to the pressure of competition. This way the narrative changes to one of strength in numbers, failing forward and finding growth through the experiences of others. 3. Self-confidence - women often think twice ( read several ) times about being bold enough to embark on their own business ventures – imposter syndrome, fear and anxiety are just a few of the elements to blame for this. However, by independently building a vendor that is led and shaped by ones vision, this can offer women more of the confidence they need to scale their businesses and take on more roles, as their ambition to be economically active increases.

We are indeed, young, gifted and black… and empowered.