POLITICS

267,000 jobs lost in last quarter - StatsSA

Economy sheds close to half a million jobs over the past six months

JOHANNESBURG - The South African economy shed a further 267,000 jobs between the first and second quarters of 2009. This is according to the recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey released by Statistics South Africa on Tuesday. The survey found that, in that period, 93,000 jobs had been lost in the formal sector, 41,000 in the informal sector, 28,000 in agriculture, and 105,000 from private households.

The unemployment rate increased only slightly - from 23,48% to 23,58%. This was because of a massive - 302,000 - increase in the number of discouraged job seekers. Over the past two quarters the South African economy has shed close to half a million jobs (475,000.)

Table: Key findings of latest Labour Force Survey

 

Jan-Mar 2008

April-June 2008

Oct-Dec 2008

Jan-Mar 2009

April-June 2009

Qrt to Qrt change

Year-on-year change

 

Thousand

Population 15-64 yrs

30608

30705

30894

30987

31080

93

375

Labour force

17814

17844

17718

17820

17495

-325

-349

Employed

13623

13729

13844

13636

13369

-267

-360

Formal sector (Non-agricultural)

9342

9415

9537

9449

9356

-93

-59

Informal sector (Non-agricultural)

2319

2340

2246

2150

2109

-41

-231

Agriculture

799

790

764

738

710

-28

-80

Private households

1163

1185

1298

1299

1194

-105

9

Unemployed

4191

4114

3873

4184

4125

-59

11

Not economically active

12794

12861

13176

13166

13585

419

724

Discouraged work-seekers

1177

1079

1168

1215

1517

302

438

Other (not economically active)

11617

11783

12008

11951

12068

117

285

Unemployment rate

23.53%

23.06%

21.86%

23.48%

23.58%

0.10%

0.52%

Source: Statistics South Africa, Quarterly Labour Force Survey, Quarter 2 2009

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