PODCAST: South Africa’s agricultural employment improves

While the 2023/2024 midsummer drought has been the central theme of the downbeat performance of South Africa’s agriculture this year, we see a welcome positive change in the jobs data. Stats SA data shows that primary agriculture employment improved by 4% from the previous quarter to 935,000 jobs in the third quarter.

However, from an annual perspective, the performance is weak, down 2% year on year. Still, the primary agricultural employment of 935,000 people is well above the long-term jobs of 799,000. The poor annual performance mirrors the harsh summer season we are leaving behind.

Some subsectors showing a quarterly increase in employment include livestock, horticulture, game hunting, and the production of organic fertilisers. Meanwhile, forestry and aquaculture recorded job losses from the second quarter.

The Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, North West, Gauteng and Limpopo showed significant quarterly job gains. The livestock and horticulture industries may have boosted the employment prospects in these provinces.

Meanwhile, the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga showed job losses in the second quarter. The dominant types of agricultural activity in these provinces partly explain the job losses, especially in the Free State, primarily the grains- and oilseed-growing region.

Richard Humphries, Sam Mkokeli, Nelisiwe Tshabalala and Amanda Murimba produced this podcast.