Thousands more South Africans are unemployed

AFTER some job gains between March and December last year, the official unemployment rate which doesn't include discouraged work seekers - is back to where it was a year ago, at 32.9%.

- NICOLA MAWSON

However, this is off-the-record high of 35.3% seen in the fourth quarter of 2021 in the direct aftermath of Covid-19. South Africa saw record low unemployment rate of 21.50% in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to Trading Economics data.

The official unemployment rate rose because 291 000 people lost their jobs quarter-on-quarter, dropping the employed workforce to 16.8 million as at March this year, Statistics South Africa said yesterday.