Job losses in 4 industries a catalyst for rise in unemployment - Stats SA

JOHANNESBURG - Stats SA said that job losses seen in four industries were the catalyst for yet another increase in the country’s official unemployment rate, which now sits at 32.9%.

Unemployment rose by 0.8% in the first quarter of the year, up from last year’s 32.1%.

The latest increase was in line with market expectations.

Director of Labour Statistics at Stats SA, Dihlolelo Phoshoko, said that community and social services, construction as well as finance were the biggest drag on the labour market.

“The number of employed persons increased by 22,000 to 16.7 million in the first quarter of the year, while the number of unemployed persons increased by 330,000 to 8.2 million during the same quarter. The above changes in employment and unemployment resulted in the official unemployment rate increasing by 0.8 of a percentage.”

But Phoshoko said that some industries performed better.

“The industries that contributed to the net employment increase include trade (up by 109,000), manufacturing (up by 99,000), private households (up by 44,000), transport (up by 39,000), agriculture (21,000) and mining (9,000).