Annual consumer inflation softened to 4,4% in April 2019 after hitting a three-month high of 4,5% in March 2019. While food inflation remains quite stable, rising petrol prices continue to place pressure on consumers. Inflation has remained within the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) target range of 3–6% for two years (since March 2017). The   read more »

Did you know that in 2017, 6,8 million South Africans experienced hunger? While the number has dropped from 13,5 million in 2002, it still affects 1,7 million households across the country. These figures were released in a recent survey, “Towards measuring the extent of food security in South Africa: An examination of hunger and food   read more »

On 8 May 2019, millions of South Africans braved the cold and wet weather and headed to the polls to cast their votes in the country’s sixth democratic elections. The excitement across the country was so tangible that President Cyril Ramaphosa said the 2019 elections were reminiscent of the country’s first democratic elections in 1994.   read more »

The youth aged 15–24 years are the most vulnerable in the South African labour market as the unemployment rate among this age group was 55,2% in the 1st quarter of 2019. Among graduates in this age group, the unemployment rate was 31,0% during this period compared to 19,5% in the 4th quarter of 2018 –   read more »

 MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                                                                                               14 May 2019                    Quarterly Labour Force Survey – QLFS Q1:2019  The results of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the first quarter of 2019 released by Statistics South Africa, indicate that the official unemployment rate increased by 0,5 of a percentage point to 27,6% compared to the fourth quarter   read more »

Freedom Day is a public holiday in South Africa celebrated on 27 April each year. On this day in 1994, South Africa had the first national and non-racial elections where South African citizens of voting age of over 18 years from any race group were allowed to vote. Previously, under the apartheid government, non-whites in   read more »

The Living Conditions Survey (LCS) is part of Stats SA’s household survey programme and provides detailed information on households’ living circumstances, as well as their income and expenditure patterns. Information from this survey was used to compile the report Men, Women and Children: Findings of the Living Conditions Survey 2014/15. Let’s take a look at   read more »

The South African formal business sector1 generated R2,57 trillion in turnover in the fourth quarter of 2018. This translates to about R323 600 generated every second from October 2018 to December 2018. The R2,57 trillion was 5,5% more than the R2,44 trillion generated in the third quarter (July 2018 to September 2018). This follows a rise of 3,6% in the third quarter and   read more »

MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                                             28 March 2019 Education Series Volume V: Higher Education and Skills in South Africa, 2017 There has been an increase in higher education participation rates in South Africa, however, the poor transition of learners from the further training and education (FTE) phase to completion of Grade 12, to writing and passing the   read more »

The December 2018 QES survey showed that an estimated 10 151 000 people were employed in the formal non-agricultural sector of the South African economy, which is up by 87 000 from 10 064 000 in the previous quarter. The number of people working part-time increased by 37 000 to 1 065 000 in the   read more »