SA's jobless rate ticks up in the second quarter
The number of employed South Africans dropped 0.7% in the second quarter of 2018 compared to the first, with mining and community services under the most pressure
The number of employed South Africans fell by 69,000 in the second quarter of 2018, driven largely by a fall in those employed in community services, Statistics SA said on Wednesday.
Employment in the mining sector fell 4% in the second quarter compared to same quarter in 2018, or by 19,000, with employment in manufacturing falling 1.1% over the same period, Statistics SA said in its quarterly employment survey.
The number of employed, according to the survey — which covered all industries other than agriculture — fell to 9.74-million in the quarter to end-June.
On an annual basis, employment in the construction sector fell by 14,000, or 2.3%, while employment in the retail sector saw the largest increase — 1.1% or 24,000. On a quarter-by-quarter basis, those employed in the retail sector increased by 7,000, largely due to employment in retail, hotels and restaurants, Statistics SA said.
On a year-on-year basis, gross earnings by employees increased 4.5%, although on a quarterly basis this fell 0.8%, largely due to decreases in business services, mining and quarrying industries.
Average monthly earnings rose 3.7% year on year to end-May, and 1.6% quarter on quarter using the same month as a comparison. The average employee in the nonagricultural sector was paid R20,176 in May 2018.