By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Statistics South Africa has published the results of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for Q3 2023, showing a small increase in the country’s unemployment rate.
The official unemployment rate increased by 0.2 of a percentage point from 32.7% in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 32.9% in the first quarter of 2023.
The unemployment rate, according to the expanded definition, decreased by 0,2 of a percentage point to 42,4% in Q1 2023 compared to Q4 2022.
Statistician-general Risenga Maluleke said the latest labour force survey showed that 179 000 more people were unemployed in the first quarter.
“So having recorded an increase in the number of unemployed people has increased our unemployment rate by 0.2% and of course that has put us at 32.9% as our headline unemployment rate for the first quarter of 2023.”
The same quarter has also recorded an increase in the number of people that are employed, but the figure was offset by the increase in unemployment.
In the first quarter, a total of 258 000 more people were employed compared to the previous quarter.
This brings the total number of people who are employed in the country to 16.2 million.
Manufacturing, construction, mining, trade and private households were the biggest contributing sectors to the loss in employment.
Provincially, the number of employed persons increased in six provinces between Q4 2022 and Q1 2023.
Large employment increases were recorded in Gauteng (+80,000), Limpopp (+71,000), Western Cape (+62,000), Kwa-Zulu Natal (+54,000), Eastern Cape (+41,000), and Northern Cape (+4,000).
Employment losses were recorded in Mpumalanga (-45,000), Free State (-4,000), and the North West (-4,000) during the same period.
So far in 2023, South Africa suffered more load shedding than during the entire 2022. This – along with aggressive interest rate hikes and rocketing food prices – has weighed on the economy and inhibited job creation.