The South African economy slipped into recession during the second quarter of 2018, shrinking by 0,7% quarter-on-quarter (seasonally adjusted and annualised). This followed a revised 2,6% contraction in the first quarter of 2018. The widely recognised indicator of recession is two (or more) consecutive quarters of negative growth (real GDP quarter-on-quarter). South Africa experienced its   read more »

Recent news reports of sewage spills in the Vaal Dam have again raised concerns over South Africa’s water resources. In order to reduce the costs of maintaining the country’s water network, government has embarked on a programme to train unemployed youth with skills to patch up ageing infrastructure. An important tool to fight joblessness is   read more »

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                                                                                    31 July 2018   Quarterly Labour Force Survey – QLFS Q2:2018   The official unemployment rate increased by 0,5 of a percentage point to   read more »

The total number of jobs reported in the first quarter showed an increase of 56 000 from the previous quarter, bringing the total number of persons employed in the formal non-agricultural sector to 9 838 000. According to the figures from the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) Survey, formal sector jobs rose year-on-year by 74 000 in the first quarter   read more »

Press statement                         Embargo: Tuesday 5 June 2018, 11:30   GDP in the first quarter of 2018 contracted by 2,2% Gross domestic product (measured by production) South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 2,2% in the first quarter of 2018.1 The manufacturing industry and the mining and quarrying industry were the largest negative contributors to   read more »

After growing by 3,1% in the fourth quarter of 2017, the South Africa economy wobbled in the first quarter of 2018, shrinking by 2,2% quarter-on-quarter (seasonally adjusted and annualised). Agriculture, mining and manufacturing were the main contributors to the slowdown, with the electricity, construction and trade industries also recording negative growth. The 2,2% fall is   read more »

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                                        15 May 2018 Quarterly Labour Force Survey – QLFS Q1:2018 The results of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the first quarter of 2018 released by Statistics South Africa today indicate that: The South African working-age population increased by 153 000 or 0,4 per cent   read more »

Figures from the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) survey showed that South Africa’s formal non-agricultural sector added 81 000 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2017, bringing the total number of persons employed in the formal non-agricultural to 9,8 million. The QES also showed formal sector jobs rise by 18 000 in the fourth quarter compared with the   read more »

At the 2018 International Travel Trade Show in Germany held in March 2018, South African Tourism CEO Sisa Ntshona was quoted as stating that tourism is vitally important to the South African economy, and that the sector should be nurtured for sustained and inclusive growth. Recent data from Stats SA show how important tourism actually   read more »

In a time when good news seems hard to come by, the latest gross domestic product (GDP) results provide some cautious cheer. The South African economy grew by 1,3% in 2017, exceeding National Treasury’s expectation of 1,0% growth announced during the National Budget Speech in February. After a wobbly start to 2017, which saw economic   read more »