South Africa’s unemployment rate has risen to an uncomfortable 27.5% in the third quarter.
This was revealed by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), which published its Quarterly Labour Force Survey on Tuesday. The report indicates that the country’s unemployment rate has increased from 27.2% to 27.5%; an increase of 0.3 % in four months.
South Africa’s unemployment in numbers
There are currently 6.2 million South Africans without jobs. A string of consecutive unemployment rate rises has done little to combat the country’s current economic recession.
Worryingly, the number of citizens who have stopped looking for work has also increased. According to Stats SA, 37.3% of unemployed South Africans have currently abandoned the job hunt; an increase of 0.5% from the last quarter
Youth unemployment has also increased by 0.7%, meaning that 39% of all 15 to 34-year-olds are currently without work. This is cause for serious concern, as South Africa is already listed as having one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world.
The private, formal and household sector all recorded job losses in the third quarter, with the informal sector seeing slight gains overall.
South Africa’s provincial unemployment standings
As part of its Quarterly Labour Force Survey, Stats SA also revealed the provinces with the highest and lowest unemployment rates in the country.
The Free State has the highest provincial unemployment rate in South Africa, with 36.6% of locals unable to find work.
The Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga aren’t far behind, with 35.6% and 32.5% of locals unemployed, respectively.
While Gauteng may be seen as the land of opportunity for most, 29.6% of people living in the province are jobless.
In the North West province, 28% of locals are without jobs, and in the Northern Cape, 27% of people are unemployed.
In KwaZulu-Natal, 23% of the labour force is unable to gain permanent employment. In the Western Cape, 20.4% of people are unemployed.
Surprisingly, Limpopo, which is generally considered one the nation’s most embattled provinces, has recorded the lowest unemployment rate, with only 18.9% of locals needing work.
