After contracting by 0,7% in the second quarter of 2022, the economy rallied in the third quarter, expanding by 1,6%.1 The agriculture, finance, transport and manufacturing industries were the main drivers of growth on the supply side of the economy. The demand side of the economy was lifted by a rise in exports and government   read more »

With Black Friday upon us, South African consumers have begun scouting for the latest deals. Monthly retail trade sales data show how Black Friday has shifted shopping behaviour over time. Consumers splurge during the festive season The graphic below shows the distribution of retail trade sales by month, for the year 2019. If all months   read more »

Annual consumer price inflation slowed to 7,5% in September from 7,6% in August, edging further down from the 13-year high of 7,8% recorded in July. Fuel prices declined for a second consecutive month, contributing to the softer headline rate. The monthly change in the consumer price index (CPI) for September was 0,1%, lower than 0,2%   read more »

South Africa’s 122 provincial government departments spent R613,6 billion in 2020/21, according to the latest Financial statistics of provincial government statistical release. This is R16,9 billion more than the R596,8 billion recorded in 2019/20, representing a rise of 2,8%.1 The 2,8% rise is muted compared with the previous three years that recorded increases of around 7,0%. A closer   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 »

After two consecutive quarters of positive growth, real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased by 0,7%1 in the second quarter of 2022 (Q2: 2022). The devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal and load shedding contributed to the decline, weakening an already fragile national economy that had just recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Manufacturing the biggest drag on GDP The flooding   read more »

The South African economy took almost two years to recover from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. How does this compare with other countries? After plummeting in the second quarter of 2020 – when lockdown restrictions were at their most stringent – South African gross domestic product (GDP) clawed itself back to pre-pandemic levels in   read more »

Globally, women who are looking for work and are available to work have a tougher time finding work than men. This phenomenon is more pronounced in South Africa, with higher unemployment rates for the general population as compared to the rest of the world. In 2022, 47,0% of South African women were recorded as economically   read more »

Your chances of finding a job are much higher if you continue your search for employment. Estimates from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey, released by Statistics South Africa, show that the likelihood of finding employment is much higher if you continue to search for work or are available to take up a job or start   read more »

Annual consumer inflation jumped to 7,4% in June from 6,5% in May, mainly driven by rising transport and food prices. The June rate is the highest reading since May 2009 (8,0%) when the economy was facing the headwind of currency depreciation during the global financial crisis. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 1,1% between   read more »