SA notes first increase in employment in six months
The increase was driven largely by a rise in the number of those employed in the business services, trade and community services sectors
SA saw its first increase in employment in six months as the number of employed South Africans rose by 87,000 in the fourth quarter. The increase was driven largely by a rise in the number of those employed in the business services, trade and community services sectors, Statistics SA said on Tuesday. This follows two quarters of contraction. SA usually sees a seasonal boost in temporary employment in the fourth quarter. However, full-time employment also saw an increase of 50,000. Employment in the business services sector was up 53,000 while trade saw a boost of 49,000 and community services rose by 9,000.
“[This was] partly due to seasonal employment associated with the festive season as well as election-related employment in government,” FNB economist Siphamandla Mkhwanazi said. Unemployment in the primary sectors of the economy, however, took a knock. Construction shed 18,000 jobs while mining and quarrying fell by 7,000 and manufacturing by 3,000. “While moderate employme...
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