IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH DATA ECOSYSTEMS

The March 2015 Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) survey showed that total formal non-agricultural employment decreased by 44 000 jobs from 8 986 000 in the fourth quarter of 2014 to
8 942 000 in the first quarter of 2015.This is a quarterly decrease of 0.5 %.

The quarterly decrease was mainly due to decreases reported by the wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, motor cycles and personal and household goods, hotels and restaurants industry (23 000 jobs); community, social and personal services industry (19 000 jobs); mining and quarrying industry  (3 000 jobs); construction industry (2 000 jobs) and business services (1 000 jobs)

The manufacturing sector reported an increase of 4 000 jobs.

Electricity, gas and water supply industry as well as the transport, storage and communication industry reported no changes.

43 000 jobs were lost between March 2014 and March 2015. This reflected an annual decrease of
0.5 %.The largest decrease was recorded by the manufacturing industry with a decrease of 16 000 jobs.

Gross earnings paid to employees in the formal non-agricultural sector during the quarter ended March 2015 amounted to R475 billion. This reflected a quarterly decrease of R22 billion compared with the quarter ended December 2014 and an annual increase of R25 billion compared with the quarter ended March 2015.The decrease in gross earnings during the first quarter of 2015 compared with the fourth quarter of 2014 was mainly due to R5,8 billion (-9,7%) in the manufacturing industry; R5,3 billion (-3,4%) in the community, social and personal services industry; R4,3 billion (-6,1%) in the wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, motor cycles and personal and household goods, hotels and restaurants industry; R3,1 billion (-14,1%) in the construction industry; R2,8  billion (-9,0%) in the transport, storage and communication industry; R1,0 billion (-14,8%) in the electricity, gas and water supply industry and R705 million (-2,5%) in the mining and quarrying industry.

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