Total employment increased by 16 000 or 0,2% quarter-on-quarter, from 10 197 000 in September 2019 to 10 213 000 in December 2019. This was largely due to increases in the following industries: trade (39 000 or 1,7%), business services (12 000 or 0,5%) and community services (3 000 or 0,1%).The electricity industry remained unchanged.   read more »

New employment figures released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) showed that South Africa’s formal non-agricultural sector added 16 000 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2019, bringing the total number of persons employed in the formal non-agricultural sector to 10,2 million. The Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) reported that formal sector jobs rose by 18 000 in   read more »

Press statement                                                                                               Embargo: Tuesday 3 March 2020, 11:30 GDP in the fourth quarter of 2019 decreased by 1,4% Gross domestic product (measured by production) South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) decreased by 1,4% in the fourth quarter of 2019.1 The transport, storage and communication industry   read more »

After rebounding by a revised 3,2%1 in the second quarter of 2019, activity in the South African economy slipped slightly in the third quarter. Mining, manufacturing and transport were the biggest drags on growth in gross domestic product (GDP). Mining was down by 6,1%, driven largely by a fall in the production of platinum group   read more »

Stats SA provides a snapshot of working capital across the formal business sector in the latest release of the Annual Financial Statistics (AFS) report. Working capital is a measure of a company’s liquidity and is one of a number of measures that provide insight into a company’s ability to pay off debt. To calculate working   read more »

Public-sector investment in the nation’s infrastructure slowed for a second consecutive year, falling by 8,2% in 2018. This followed a 4,0% decline in 2017. These decreases have seen public-sector capital expenditure slip to a level last seen in 2014. Capital expenditure is money that institutions spend to buy, maintain or upgrade fixed assets such as   read more »

The June 2019 Quarterly Employment Survey, released by Statistics South Africa, showed that an estimated 10 172 000 people were employed in the formal non-agricultural sector of the South African economy, which is down by 2 000 from the 10 174 000 recorded in the previous quarter. Full-time employment decreased by 26 000 to 9 103 000, and part-time employment increased by 24 000   read more »

Press statement                                                                                                                     Embargo: Tuesday 3 September 2019,   read more »

After shrinking sharply in the first quarter of 2019, the economy rebounded from a low base to record positive growth of 3,1%1 in the second quarter (April−June). Mining, finance, trade and government services were the main drivers of growth. Three industries (construction, agriculture and transport) registered a slump in production. Mining was the strongest performer   read more »

In 2015, Stats SA published an article highlighting the contribution that small businesses make to industry turnover in South Africa.1 The March 2019 Quarterly financial statistics (QFS) report provides an update. The entire formal business sector2 generated R2,39 trillion in turnover in Q1: 2019. Out of this amount, large businesses contributed 62%, followed by small (29%) and   read more »