S. Africa’s unemployment rate rose to 33.5% in Q2

South Africa’s unemployment rate rose to 33.5 per cent in the second quarter of 2024 for the third time in a row, according to statistics agency’s quarterly labour force survey results showed on Tuesday. The survey also marked a decrease of 92.000 in the number of employed individuals, bringing the total down to 16.7 million in April-June of this year.

Meanwhile, the number of unemployed individuals increased by 158,000, reaching 8.4 million compared to the first quarter of 2024, resulting in a 0.3 per cent rise in the labour force.

The number of discouraged work-seekers also saw a significant increase of 147.000 (up by 4.8 per cent), while those not economically active for reasons other than discouragement decreased by 75,000 (down by 0.6 per cent) between the two quarters. Consequently, the overall number of not economically active individuals grew by 72,000, bringing the total to 16.3 million in Q2 of 2024.

These shifts in employment and unemployment led to an increase in the official unemployment rate by 0.6 per cent, from 32.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2024 to 33.5 per cent in the second quarter. The expanded unemployment rate also climbed by 0.7 per cent, reaching 42.6 per cent in the second quarter compared to the first quarter

Attribution: South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS)

Sub-Editing: Y.Yasser