Cape Town – Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) says youth unemployment remains a significant issue, as the latest figures for the first quarter of 2023 were released.
The data shows that nearly a quarter of a million young individuals lost their jobs during this period, bringing the total number of unemployed youth to 4.9 million, marking a 1.1% increase compared to the previous quarter.
Additionally, the country’s official unemployment rate slightly rose from 32.7% to 32.9%.
However, there was a decrease in the number of people not economically active due to reasons other than discouragement, as well as a decline in discouraged work-seekers.
“The number of people who were not economically active for reasons other than discouragement decreased by 209 000 to 13,2 million.
“The discouraged work-seekers decreased by 87,000 in the first quarter of 2023, compared to the fourth quarter of 2022, resulting in a net decrease of 296,000 in the not economically active population,” EWN quoted Stats SA’s Dihlolelo Phoshoko as saying.
Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) said youth unemployment remained a problem following the release of the latest figures for the first quarter of 2023. pic.twitter.com/84c3XTlxEd
— AfricanTimes2005 (@African_TimesSA) May 17, 2023
According to the latest survey, the unemployment rate, as per the expanded definition, decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 42.4% compared to the previous quarter. The formal sector saw a rise in employment by 209 000, while the informal sector experienced an increase of 107 000 jobs.
The sectors with the largest employment gains were finance, community and social services, and agriculture. However, private households, trade, mining, construction, and manufacturing saw job losses, The Citizen reported.
In terms of regional employment, Gauteng, Limpopo, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Eastern Cape recorded gains, while Mpumalanga, North West, and Free State saw job losses.
The survey collects data from individuals aged 15 to 64 and provides insights into the labour market activities.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
