BusinessLive reports that SA’s unemployment rate continued its climb to the highest levels in over a decade, data from Statistics SA showed on Tuesday.  

The rate increased 0.1 of a percentage point to 29.1% during the third quarter of 2019, statistician-general Risenga Maluleke reported.  “This is the highest since the first quarter of 2008,” he indicated.  The expanded unemployment rate, which included discouraged job seekers, was 38.5%.  Declines in employment in the third quarter were recorded in the manufacturing sector, which shed 30,000 jobs, followed by construction at 24,000, trade 21,000 and utilities 18,000.  Employment increased in three sectors, with the formal sector recording the largest employment increase of 43,000 jobs, followed by agriculture (38,000) and private households (35,000).  The working-age population (15 to 64 years old) rose by 149,000 to 38.6-million in the third quarter.  Of that 38.6m, the labour force unaccounted for 23.1m, with the number of the employed increasing by 62,000 to 16.4m.  The unemployed accounted for 6.7m and the economically inactive accounted for 15.5m.  The number of employed people increased by 62,000 to 16.4m during the period under review.  The increase of 62,000 jobs in the third quarter was mainly driven by community and social services with 56,000 jobs, followed by agriculture and mining with 38,000 each and private households with 35,000.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive
• Read too, Unemployment hits highest level in more than 11 years, at Fin24

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