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· South Africa has an unemployment rate of 30.1%, the highest rate in the past decade, according to Statistics SA’s latest Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) bulletin
· Figures were worked out on the basis of a sample survey conducted by Stats SA
South Africa has an unemployment rate of 30.1%, the highest rate in the past decade, according to Statistics SA’s latest Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) bulletin. The total employment in SA’s non-agricultural formal sector fell by 3 000 between December 2019 and March 2020. The figures were worked out on the basis of a sample survey conducted by Stats SA. The survey also reveals findings on employment in the non-agricultural formal sector, but does not take into account the impact on employment during the lockdown.
The decrease in employment, the survey points out, was due to fall in trade (-17 000), construction (-14 000) and manufacturing (-2 000). At the same time, some sectors like community services (17 000); business services (8 000), mining (3 000) and transport (2 000) have registered an increase in employment. How these sectors have fared during the lockdown is being assessed.
In all probability, employment would have come down in these sectors during the Covid-19 days, which may take time to assess. There were 10 234 000 people employed in SA’s non-agricultural sector in December 2019, and 10 231 000 in March 2020.
