South Africa’s e-commerce sector isn’t growing fast enough. Offshore e-commerce retailers, such as Shein and Temu, are rapidly gaining ground in South Africa’s retail clothing, textile, footwear and leather sector, displacing thousands of local jobs, including in e-commerce. This is creating an urgent need for digital transformation, including the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). The…
Trump administration officials question data amid condemnation of dismissal of Bureau of Labor Statistics head. The White House has defended United States President Donald Trump’s firing of the top official responsible for compiling employment statistics after her dismissal raised concerns about the future credibility of crucial economic data. Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, the director of…
President Donald Trump on Friday fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, hours after the agency reported that job growth in the U.S. had slowed to a near-halt. In a Truth Social post that also directed even more fire at Fed Chair Jerome Powell, Trump accused BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer of being a political appointee…
The introduction of robotics has not led to any job losses, says Barloworld. Barloworld’s R34 million investment in robotics is yielding strong returns, without affecting jobs, according to Mbali Tshitenge, executive for aftermarket at BarloworldEquipment Southern Africa. She shared insights during an interview with ITWeb. The investment, focused on Barloworld Rebuild Centre (BRC) – one…
Evan Jones, Collective X South Africans have become accustomed to bad news, particularly around the country’s dismal unemployment figures. It was around 32.9% in the first quarter of this year, up from 31.9% in Q4 2024, according to Stats SA. The picture is dire for those aged between 15 and 34, and in this segment,…
The United Kingdom has unveiled a sweeping package of trade reforms aimed at boosting African exports, creating jobs and fostering economic growth across the continent. Unveiled on 10 July, the reforms centre around updates to the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), the UK’s flagship trade preference programme launched in 2023. The scheme covers 65 countries…
This is the fourth episode of a new podcast series curated by TechCentral’s editorial team and generated by artificial intelligence tools. It’s an experiment that’s in beta for now, but if it works well, we’ll consider making it a regular feature by launching season 1. In this episode, we highlight some of the biggest technology…
STORY HIGHLIGHTS An initiative from the Government of Lesotho, in partnership with the World Bank, the Economic Inclusion Program is helping beneficiaries establish businesses in various sectors such as poultry, catering, and dress-making. The program seeks to make social assistance more efficient and fair, especially for vulnerable families and people with disabilities. It integrates social…
From Market Stalls to Media House: Rwanda’s Journey to Job Creation A sunny June day in a Kigali market, a young girl named Joy sets out a small basket of oranges along the road. She had left school due to financial hardship, and now her days are a juggling act–helping her mother with chores, walking…
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks sixth in terms of the global gender gap, with a current score of 68% according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). In its latest Global Gender Gap Report 2025, released this week, the WEF notes Sub-Saharan Africa displays wide variation across countries, but its success stories demonstrate that progress is possible in…
