Getting to grips with SA’s jobless recovery
The country’s latest unemployment report is a horror show, reflecting that the fabric of the local labour market is continuing to deteriorate, despite the economy’s bounce-back from the pandemic
09 December 2021 - 05:00
It’s hard for SA’s unemployment data to shock a country as punch drunk as SA, but Stats SA’s third-quarter labour force survey has done just that. It shows that the economy shed another 660,000 jobs in the third quarter — not even half of which can be explained by the July unrest.
The steep drop seems at odds with the fact that SA’s economic recovery has been better than expected, suggesting that economists may be underestimating how badly the pandemic, coupled with severe water-and energy-shedding, and rapidly rising input costs, are affecting business...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.