Unemployment reaches 25,5% during third quarter
The number of people joining the ranks of the unemployed has swelled, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) said on Tuesday.
According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the third quarter of the year, the data showed that the official employment rate increase from 25% in the second quarter to 25,5%.
Stats SA said that it reflected a 0,5% increase, and that instead of dropping, as it had earlier in the year, unemployment was once again on the increase as companies shed jobs.
Sectors heavily hit by job losses were the transport sector (24,000 jobs), private households (11,000 jobs), utilities (9,000 jobs) and finance sector (4,000 jobs).
The data for the third quarter, Stats SA said, showed that there were 36,1 million people of working age, and out of this group, 15,8 million people were employed, 5,4 million people unemployed, while there were 14,9 million people who were not economically active.
Data revealed that 15% of the not economically active segment were discouraged people, and the majority, 85%, were not economcially active for various reasons, including being students and being a stay-at-home parent.
The trade sector saw 81,000 jobs added, while 59,000 jobs were added to the construction sector. Stats SA said regarding mining, “the number of people employed in the Mining industry remained unchanged between the two quarters”.
Stats SA said: “The not economically active population decreased by 200,000 and the economically active population increased 359,000 quarter-to-quarter. Thus resulting in an unemployment rate of 25,5%, absorption rate of 43,8% and labour force participation rate of 58,8%.”
The formal sector, at 69,1% showed the largest amount of employed people, whereas the agricultural sector accounted for the least, with 5,7% of employed people. - ANA
(File photo: Gallo Images)