Stats SA says 60% of industries bled jobs in the second quarter of the year
The official unemployment rate rose to 33.3% from 31.9% in the previous quarter.
FILE: Unemployed builders, tilers and plumbers hold signs seeking jobs on the side of the road in Johannesburg. Picture: AFP
JOHANNESBURG - Stats SA said six of 10 industries bled jobs in the second quarter of the year as the country registers another worrying increase in unemployment.
The official unemployment rate rose to 33.3% from 31.9% in the previous quarter. The expanded definition, including people discouraged from job seeking, dropped marginally to 42.9%.
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Trade and construction reported job gains, but community and social services, agriculture and finance led the job losses.
Statistician General Risenga Maluleke released the second quarter jobs data on Tuesday, where he addressed the potential impact of the United States tariffs on some export industries.
“I would say it’s too early to tell if the tariffs the us has imposed on South Africa are having an effect. It’s quite early to tell, but one thing that we know is that outside the tariffs, is that agriculture is seasonal, so you look at your December time, you are planting and ploughing and you attract a lot of people, it comes up and down, whereas come harvesting time, you may see movement.”