Oxfam, a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty, is demanding a feminist economic response amid the increasing unemployment rate among women.
The organisation noted that the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the first quarter in 2025 showed that women are sidelined in South Africa’s economic recovery.
Bongani Maseko, Oxfam spokesperson, said there needs to be a Universal Basic Income Grant of at least R1, 558 to assist women with financial stability and avoid them being vulnerable to exploitation.
77% of job losses were women, despite being 44% labour force
“Invest in a care economy that values, protects, and pays for care work. Public investment in childcare, eldercare, healthcare, and social services is long overdue. These are not costs – they are catalysts for inclusive growth and gender equality,” said Maseko.
He highlighted that 77% of job losses were from women, despite them being 44% of the employed population.
This means 223 000 jobs were lost by women, while men gained 106 000 jobs over the past year.
Maseko said women are disproportionally concentrated on unpaid care work and informal labour. This, he says, the economic policy ignores.
“As women lose formal jobs, they are forced into unpaid care roles of precarious informal employment, with little to no social protection. This is not incidental. It is systemic.
“And it reflects a broader failure by government to respond with the urgency and scale that this moment demands,” said Maseko.
Economy ignoring women
Maseko claimed this is a crisis that shows that the economy is ignoring women. It is also structurally unequal, and that it is due for transformation.
As part of recommendations for responsive recovery, the organisation suggests that the care economy be recognised and invested in. It wants all employees in various sectors to have contracts, including informal and domestic workers.
Maseko said women in Just Energy Transition needed to be involved in decision-making to ensure that gender statistics are being balanced.
The Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu) also expressed concern over the percentage point increase in the South African unemployment rate to 32.9%
Matthew Parks, Cosatu’s parliamentary coordinator, noted the figures with great concern. He said it should not be tolerated that four out of 10 people are struggling to get jobs in the country.
Government needs to stimulate economic growth
“Government must accelerate its efforts. It should be working with business and labour, to rebuild the state. To also enable it to provide the public and municipal services the economy needs to grow. And to invest in critical economic infrastructure essential to stimulate growth,” said Parks.
“Expanding the public employment programme to provide a path for young people to find permanent jobs. To overhaul our skills and education regimes, to ensure workers have the skills employers need. And to ramp up financing available to unlock SMMEs and industrial and export sectors,” he added.
He said the country should fix essential services entities. This will ensure reliable and affordable electricity from Eskom as the country continues to battle load shedding.
He said Transnet also needs to double the capacity of South African exports. Also that Metro Rail should return to its full capacity state.
Localisation
Parks emphasised that the South African Revenue Service also has to be granted the resources it needs to be able to perform its duties.
“Businesses, pension and investment funds, and ordinary consumers too must play their part. They … must buy locally produced clothes, shoes, food, furniture, cars and other goods. Localisation is the most sustainable path to growing a vibrant economy.
“These critical interventions need to be intensified. South Africa needs to be turned into a construction site. Especially now with unemployment falling, not rising by 1% each quarter,” said Parks.
