Economy adds nearly 300,000 jobs but the overall picture has not improved
Nearly 300,000 jobs were added to the economy during the third quarter, after declining in the first two quarters of this year. But the unemployment rate still increased 0.5 percentage points, to 27.1%, as 239,000 more people looked for work during the quarter. Employment grew by 288,000 jobs during the third quarter. “When people see there is employment, they start looking for jobs,” statistician-general Pali Lehohla said at the release of Statistics SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the third quarter on Tuesday. Employment was boosted by growth in the construction sector, which added 104,000 jobs, and in the finance and other business services categories, which added 103,000 employees. The trade sector created 61,000 jobs and agriculture added 56,000 workers.
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