Unemployment up as Stats SA releases first-quarter figures

Unemployment in South Africa increased by 0.2 percentage points in the first quarter of 2023, driven by the formal and informal economic sectors, according to Stats SA’s latest data.

Unemployment increased to 32.9% from 32.7% in the previous quarter, says Stats SA. File image.
Image: Antonio Muchave

Released on Tuesday, the organisation’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the first quarter of the year said unemployment increased to 32.9% from 32.7% in the previous quarter.

The number of employed people jumped by 258,000 to 16.2-million compared with the fourth quarter of 2022, said the survey. It added that the number of unemployed people declined by 179,000 to 7.9-million during the same period.

The employment gains were largely driven by the finance, community, social services and agriculture sectors.

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