South Africa's unemployment crisis deepens, yet small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) hold the key to future job creation. Discover why these businesses are crucial for economic growth and what needs to change to support them effectively.
South Africa’s unemployment crisis continues to deepen, yet the country already knows where most future jobs are expected to come from.
According to the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030, 90% of new jobs are expected to be created by small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs).
These businesses already provide more than 9.2 million jobs and account for roughly 80% of the workforce. While large enterprises contribute 72.3% to tax revenue, SMMEs remain the engine of day-to-day economic development, feeding families and sustaining communities across the country.
Yet despite their importance, many SMMEs continue to fail not because entrepreneurs lack resilience or ideas, but because the systems around them were never designed for them to succeed.
