It might be surprising to learn that the ICT sector is larger than the agriculture industry. This is one of the findings from Stats SA’s latest Information and communication technology satellite account for South Africa report. The document covers ICT’s contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP), its role in imports and exports, and its   read more »

Kathu has a story to tell. Located in the rural expanse of the Northern Cape, this small town owes its existence almost entirely to iron ore. The streets, the businesses that line them, and the eleven thousand people that call Kathu home, all draw their economic lifeblood from Sishen, one of the largest open-pit mines   read more »

Employment increased by 18 000 or 0,2% quarter-on-quarter, from 9 672 000 in September 2016 to 9 690 000 in December 2016. This was largely due to increases in the following industries: trade (68 000 or 3,3%), business services (33 000 or 1,6%) and manufacturing (13 000 or 1,1%). The electricity industry remained unchanged. However there were decreases in   read more »

Media Release                                                                                                                    07 April 2017   QUARTERLY EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS, Q4 2016   The current QES survey results are based on a sample drawn from the 2016 Business Sampling Frame (BSF) and therefore the previous trend has been revised to reflect the current growth in the business register.   Employment for the quarter ending December 2016   read more »

The 1970s are best remembered for disco, bell-bottoms, and the mesmerising lava lamp. It was also the decade that saw South African mining forge ahead in its influence on the economy and employment. How has the economy in general, and mining in particular, shifted since then? Mining’s contribution to total economic production climbed in the   read more »

Press statement                                                                                  Embargo: Tuesday 7 March 2017, 11:30 GDP in the fourth quarter of 2016   read more »

A fall in mining and manufacturing production in the final quarter of 2016 pulled South African economic growth into negative territory, according to preliminary figures of gross domestic product (GDP) released by Stats SA. South Africa’s economy contracted by 0,3% quarter-on-quarter (seasonally adjusted and annualised). The mining industry’s 11,5%1 drop in production was the main   read more »

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                             14 February 2017 The results of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the fourth quarter of 2016 released by Statistics South Africa today, indicate that employment grew by 235 000 and the number of job seekers declined by 92 000 resulting in slight decline in the unemployment rate by 0,6 of percentage point to   read more »

The South African formal business sector generated R2,17 trillion in turnover in the third quarter of 2016. To put this into perspective, imagine if you drew this amount in R200 bills and went about giving away a bill every second. It would take 344 years to get rid of all the bills in this way!   read more »

The September 2016 QES survey showed that an estimated 9 282 000 persons were employed in the formal non-agricultural sector of the South African economy. This reflected a net quarterly increase of 93 000 employees (1,0%) between June 2016 and September 2016 following a revised decrease of 96 000 employees (-1,0%) between March 2016 and   read more »