[FILE] JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – JUNE 04: General view of job seekers on June 04, 2021 in Johannesburg, South Africa. According to media reports, South Africas official unemployment rate rose to 32.6% between January and March (the first quarter) of 2021, from 32.5% in the last quarter of 2020. (Photo by Gallo Images/Luba Lesolle)
Unemployment reaches record highs – but stats for youths are even more shocking
Stats SA said there were 660 000 fewer people employed in the third quarter of 2021 and the total number of jobless people in SA is 7.6 million. The unemployment rate increased to 34,9% – the highest it has ever been since quarterly tracking began in 2008.
[FILE] JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – JUNE 04: General view of job seekers on June 04, 2021 in Johannesburg, South Africa. According to media reports, South Africas official unemployment rate rose to 32.6% between January and March (the first quarter) of 2021, from 32.5% in the last quarter of 2020. (Photo by Gallo Images/Luba Lesolle)
Statistics South Africa released the unemployment rate for the third quarter of 2021 (Q3:2021) on Tuesday, 30 November. In the second quarter (Q2:2021), the statistician general’s department said unemployment was the highest it’s ever been since quarterly tracking began in 2008 and that trend continued as the rate increased by half a percentage point.
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE CONTINUES TO INCREASE
When the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) Q2 results were announced in August, it was reported that South Africa had the highest unemployment rate in the world.
On Tuesday, Stats SA announced that the rate increased by 0.5 percent to 34.9 percent.
The unemployment rate according to the expanded definition, which includes discouraged job seekers, increased by 2,2 percent to 46,6 percent in Q3 compared to Q2 in 2021.
Even though the number of unemployed persons decreased by 183 000, Stats SA said the unemployment rate increased because there were 660 000 fewer employed persons in Q3, the number of discouraged job-seekers increased by 545 000 and the number of economically inactive people (for reasons other than discouragement) increased by 443 000 between the two quarters.
The QLFS showed that there was a net increase of 988 000 in the not economically active population.
“The results indicate that South African labour market is more favourable to men than it is to women,” said Stats SA.
“The unemployment rate among women was 37,3% in the third quarter of 2021 compared to 32,9% among men according to the official definition of unemployment.”
Black African women are the most disadvantaged group with an official unemployment rate of 41,5% in Q3 compared to white women (9,9%), Indian/Asian women (25,2%) and coloured women (29,1%).
YOUNG PEOPLE MOST AFFECTED
According to the QLFS, the youth recorded the highest official unemployment rates in South Africa. Approximately 3,4 million (33,5%) out of 10,2 million young people between the ages of 15 and 24 were not in employment, education or training.
The age group 15 to 24 had the highest unemployment rate at 66,5 percent, followed by 25 to 34 with 43,8 percent. The rate in the former age group increased by 2,1 percent in Q3 while the latter increased by 0,9 percent.
The unemployment rate among the 15 to 24 age group, according to the expanded definition, also reached an unfortunate record-high, increasing from 74,8 percent to 77,4 percent, which means there are 2,6 million young people not in school, higher education or employed.
