Unemployment up: StatsSA

The unemployment rate has increased by 0.4 percent, Statistics SA (StatsSA) said on Tuesday.

   

This took the country's official unemployment to 25.6 percent from 25.2 percent in the second quarter of 2013, StatsSA said in its Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS).

   

The QLFS is a household-based sample survey conducted by StatsSA and covers the labour market activities of people aged 15 to 64.

   

Compared to a year ago, unemployment in the second quarter of this year had increased by 5.7 percent.

   

The number of discouraged work-seekers had increased by 35,000 from the first to the second quarter.

   

The number of those "not economically active" had decreased by 145,000, resulting in a net decrease of 110,000.

   

-Sapa