PRETORIA — The latest findings from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the fourth quarter of 2023 reveal a downturn in South Africa’s employment numbers, with employed persons decreasing by 22,000 to 16.7 million compared to the previous quarter. This was detailed in a media briefing on Tuesday by Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke, who also noted an uptick in unemployment figures.
According to South African Government News Agency, the number of unemployed persons rose by 46,000 to 7.9 million in the fourth quarter, as opposed to the third quarter of the same year. Moreover, the count of individuals not economically active for reasons other than discouragement surged by 218,000 to 13.4 million, although the number of discouraged work-seekers saw a reduction of 107,000. This shift led to a net increase of 111,000 in the population not participating in the economy.
These employment and unemployment dynamics have nudged the official unemployment rate up by 0.2 percentage points, from 31.9% in the third quarter to 32.1% in the fourth quarter of 2023. However, the unemployment rate, when expanded to include those discouraged from seeking work, slightly decreased by 0.1 percentage point to 41.1%.
The sectoral analysis presented by Stats SA highlighted a decrease in formal sector employment by 128,000, while informal sector employment rose by 124,000 during the same period. Significant job losses were recorded in community and social services, construction, agriculture, trade, and manufacturing. Conversely, the finance, transport, mining, and private household sectors experienced employment gains.
On a provincial level, the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, North West, and Northern Cape faced employment decreases, whereas KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Western Cape saw increases. Notably, the unemployment situation remains particularly grim for the youth (ages 15-34), with the number of unemployed young individuals climbing by 87,000 to 4.7 million. The employed youth numbers concurrently decreased by 97,000 to 5.9 million, culminating in a youth unemployment rate rise of 0.9 percentage points, from 43.4% in the third quarter to 44.3% in the fourth quarter of 2023.
These statistics underscore the ongoing challenges within the South African labor market, especially among young people, and highlight the varying economic landscapes across the provinces.