Fin24 reports that SA’s unemployment rate increased to 27.6% in the first quarter of 2019, Stats SA announced on Tuesday.  The jobless rate at the end of the fourth quarter of 2018 was 27.1%, meaning the rate increased by half a percentage point.  

According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the first quarter, there were 16.3 million employed people and 6.2 million unemployed people between the ages of 15 and 64 years in the country.  All sectors barring manufacturing, trade and transport cut employment.  At 142,000, the construction industry cut the most jobs while financial services trimmed 94,000 positions.  Investec's Kamilla Kaplan noted as follows:  "The unemployment rate typically rises in the first quarter of the year as temporary employees hired in the service sector over the festive season are typically laid off."  SA’s high unemployment rate will be one of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s immediate task following his victory in last week’s national elections.

• Read the full original of the above report on the unemployment rate at Fin24
• Read too, South Africa's unemployment rate rises to 27.6% in first quarter, at Business Report
• And also, SA unemployment rate hits highest level since 2017 at 27.6%, at EWN

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page