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Nelson Mandela Bay businesses are increasingly changing to alternative energy solutions to mitigate the impact of load shedding.
That's according to the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber's third-quarter survey.
CEO, Denise van Huysteen, says this is a positive step towards ensuring business continuity and reducing disruptions caused by ongoing power shortages.
She said the outcome of the survey also reflects the growing awareness among businesses of the need for energy resilience in the long term.
Van Huysteen said of the 84 companies surveyed, 78% said they were sourcing alternative energy, compared to 64% from the second quarter survey.
The report also showed that 43% of those surveyed implemented short time in the third quarter, compared to 48% in the second quarter and 75% in the first Quarter.
“Due to the implementation of short time, on average, salaries or wages have been reduced by 27% per employee, per business.
“A total of 44% said they were putting their investment and expansion plans on hold, compared to 52% in the second quarter, and 91% in the previous quarter, while 30% are going ahead with their investment plans, with 25% indicating they do not have any investment plans,” the survey found.
The survey results also revealed that 411 jobs were lost between Q1 and Q3 due to retrenchments, with 168 reported for the third quarter, the largest between the periods under review.
