By doing so, she noticed that working hand in hand with this sector, a lot can be achieved. The sector and the Ministry can boost the economy and provide jobs in line with the current expectations of delivering 800 000 jobs. This is a task that the Minister feels that the Government cannot possibly carry out on its own. “(The) Metals and engineering (sector) contributes roughly 28-30% of manufacturing and 6% to total GDP. In South Africa, roughly 10 000 companies are directly involved in this sector, contributing about 390 000 jobs,” Minister Zulu added.
She pointed out that the sector’s potential to contribute to the growth of the economy and her Ministry’s mandate is needed. Giving an example of where collaboration worked, she referred to the mutual participation demonstrated by industry stakeholders in the “East Asian Tigers” (Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia), hailing them as a recipe for success.
There were concerns regarding the decline, as published in the recent SEIFSA report, in metals and engineering jobs. In 2015, 11 000 jobs were lost. The report explained that employment numbers represent an inflation-adjusted time series of what happens in the real economy.