IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH DATA ECOSYSTEMS

According to the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES, Q3:2023) survey released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), total employment in the formal non-agricultural sector increased by 31 000 in the third quarter of 2023, bringing the level of employment to almost 10,2 million. The survey showed that 256 000 jobs were added between September 2022 and September   read more »

One of the important tasks of national government is to redistribute funds, mainly received from taxes, to other sectors of the economy. These transfers serve a financial lifeline to diverse groups which includes households, public corporations, local and international organisations, and other levels of government. Key areas of spending On the revenue side, national government   read more »

According to the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES, Q1:2023) survey released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), total employment in the formal non-agricultural sector decreased by 21 000 in the first quarter of 2023, bringing the level of employment to almost 10 million. The survey showed that 97 000 jobs were lost between March 2022 and March   read more »

South Africa’s unemployment rate decreased by 0,2 of a percentage point to 32,7% in Q4:2022 compared to Q3:2022. According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the fourth quarter of 2022, there were about 28 thousand more people who were unemployed than in Q3:2022. In the fourth quarter of 2022, South Africa had 7,8   read more »

Marked by COVID-19, the 2020–2021 period was incredibly challenging for the South African economy. Data from Stats SA’s latest Annual financial statistics (AFS) survey, which includes the first three months of the hard lockdown, shows a decline in formal business turnover and expenditure. The AFS reference period typically entails a lag effect: the survey reference   read more »

Household income and expenditure surveys are an essential component to a healthy data ecosystem and critical for economic and developmental planning and decision-making. Statistical agencies like Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) use these surveys to inform the measurement of inflation and to better understand a country’s household economy and living conditions. “Out of every R1   read more »

Data from 745 institutions provides an update on public-sector investment in infrastructure. A number of institutions pulled back on capital expenditure in 2021, while others increased their spending. Public-sector capital expenditure decreased by R6,1 billion (-3,0%) between 2020 and 2021, from R204,3 billion to R198,2 billion, representing the fifth consecutive year of decline. Capital expenditure represents money spent   read more »

According to the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES, Q2:2022) survey released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), total employment in the formal non-agricultural sector decreased by 119 000 in the second quarter of 2022, bringing the level of total employment to approximately 9,9 million. The survey showed that jobs increased by 74 000 between June 2021 and   read more »

South African gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 1,9% in the first quarter of 2022, representing a second consecutive quarter of upward growth.1 The size of the economy is now at pre-pandemic levels, with real GDP slightly higher than what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. This release covers the first quarter of the year   read more »

Real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 1,2%1 in the fourth quarter (October–December), taking the annual growth rate for 2021 to 4,9%. The fourth quarter was upbeat, with personal services, trade, manufacturing and agriculture the key drivers of growth. An increase in demand for goods and services drove up the expenditure side of the economy,   read more »