Dimension Data CEO Brett Dawson interview: Job creation is the b
Dimension Data CEO Brett Dawson interview: Job creation is the b
Brett Dawson, CEO of Dimension Data, was recently interviewed by the Sunday Times as part of its EACH ONE
HIRE ONE series about dealing with unemployment in South Africa. Extracts of the interview are reprinted below.
Of all the socioeconomic challenges facing South Africa, unemployment must be the greatest. It represents not only wasted potential and productivity, but is depriving us of the future it deserves. Of course, employment means much more than earning an income: it promotes self-worth, independence and innovation. More jobs would have an invaluable effect on the social fabric of this country, reducing poverty, crime and violence.
While there’s no single policy or approach to creating more jobs, I believe it’s essential for South Africa and in particular South African businesses to be more competitive. This, in turn, will be the most effective engine for job creation in this country.
We have some of the highest unemployment rates in the world even worse than Iraq. For a middle-income emerging market with abundant natural resources, well-developed financial and legal sectors, and the 18th-largest stock exchange in the world, this level of unemployment is unacceptable.
I believe the only way we can create sustainable jobs is through sustainable business and, in order for business to be sustainable; it needs to be competitive and internationally competitive at that.
If companies are commercially competitive they will create jobs.
Implementing structural reforms, minimising unnecessary bureaucracy, and encouraging the creation and expansion of enterprise and industry, will lead to more jobs being created.
One of the key macroeconomic forces at play at present is the competitiveness of nations and South Africa is not as competitive as it could be.
In an economic climate characterised by a shift in economic activity from advanced to emerging markets, this country needs to take advantage of these opportunities. In a global marketplace, international organisations have been sending their operations offshore, going to where doing business is cheap and easy. This is the crux of the Asian success story”