Municipal purchases and sales of electricity followed a usual, but very interesting, seasonal pattern in the last three months of 2015, according to Stats SA’s latest Quarterly financial statistics of municipalities report.   Published every quarter, the report provides an indication of the financial status of South Africa’s 278 municipalities, including data on where municipalities   read more »

Next time you dig into a delicious plate of fish and chips, take a moment to ponder the value of seafood as a resource. How has South Africa’s fish stocks changed since 2005? Estimates of quantities of fish available in our oceans, as well as data on catch numbers, were recently published in Stats SA’s   read more »

23 March 2016 Media Release QUARTERLY EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS   Employment There was an estimated 8 992 000 jobs reported in the formal non-agricultural sector in December 2015. This was an increase of 43 000 employees or +0,5% quarter to quarter and an increase of 6 000 employees or +0,1% year on year.   Quarterly employment gains   read more »

MEDIA INVITE Quarterly Employment Statistics 2015 The Statistician-General of South Africa, Dr Pali Lehohla, will release the results of the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) Q4 of 2015 at a media briefing to be held on Wednesday 23, March 2016 in Pretoria. Date: 23 March 2016 Lock- up: 14H00 Embargo: 14H30 Venue: GCIS Tshedimosetso House, Cnr   read more »

The much anticipated Community Survey 2016 (CS 2016) kicked off on 7 March 2016. Over 10 000 Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) field workers across the country will visit 1,3 million sampled households collecting data until 22 April 2016. Unlike previous surveys of this magnitude, this year the CS 2016 will use the Computer Assisted   read more »

Current data point to an agriculture industry that is struggling. During November 2015, in the midst of South Africa’s worst drought in 23 years, Stats SA released gross domestic product (GDP) figures showing three consecutive quarters of steep decline in agricultural activity. A number of forecasts suggest that food prices might rise sharply as a   read more »

Next time you dig into a delicious plate of fish and chips, take a moment to ponder the value of seafood as a natural resource. Stats SA’s latest Environmental Economic Accounts Compendium provides estimates of quantities of fish available in our oceans, as well as data on catch numbers. The oceans that straddle the Southern   read more »

Credit to the twelve thousand fieldworkers who sang one song that reverberated as they combed the breadth and width of our country singing the song for the Community Survey. In the Free State the song was sung and its echo, guided by the Orange River, unleashed itself into the sandy dunes of the Northern Cape.   read more »

The economics of Christmas: disrupting the normal You are looking for a Christmas gift for Aunt Edna. As you browse the aisles, you think of how much you are looking forward to the trip down to the coast. December is an unusual time for the country economically. Monthly statistics on the economy clearly show how   read more »

How did South Africa’s major minerals do last year? With mining recently under the spotlight, Stats SA’s latest Mining: Production and sales release provides an overview of mining performance in 2015. The mining industry performed better in 2015 than it did in 2014. Annual mining production was up by 3,5% in 2015, following a drop   read more »