South African economy gains formal jobs in fourth quarter
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 »
How important is tourism to the South African economy?
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 »
Economic growth better than what many expected
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 »
Mining: winners and losers of 2017
The 2017 Mining Charter published by government in June has seen its fair share of debate, opening intense discussions on the industry’s future. Outside of this policy debate, Stats SA recently published figures showing how the industry performed in 2016 and 2017. 2016 wasn’t a good year for South African mining. The industry as a read more »
Investing in early childhood development is the future
Investing in early childhood development is the future “If we are to break the cycle of poverty, we need to educate the children of the poor.” – President Cyril Ramaphosa, SoNA 2018 The first one thousand days in a child’s life could hold the key to unlocking his/her life-long potential. By the age of 5, read more »
Counting the costs of Valentine’s Day
You’ve got no one to blame except yourself. Admit it. You totally forgot about Valentine’s Day. Now that it’s just around the corner you’ve got to come up with something fast! It was months ago when you and your significant other agreed that it would be your turn this year to do something special. You read more »
Businesses bleed jobs for third consecutive quarter
New figures from the QES showed that South Africa’s formal non-agricultural sector shed 31 000 jobs in the third quarter of 2017. With losses of 41 000 in March 2017 and 31 000 in June 2017, this marks the third straight quarter of job losses across South Africa. The job market has experienced notable pressure in the last read more »
Bumper harvest helps keep economy afloat
The South African economy grew by 2,0% in the third quarter of 2017 (seasonally adjusted and annualised), down from a revised 2,8% in the second quarter. Agriculture, mining and manufacturing were the main drivers of the expansion, while there was a contraction in general government services resulting from low employment numbers in the public sector. read more »
Infographic: Government’s spending priorities
Stats SA recently released a complete overview of total government spending for 2015/16, providing insight into where your tax contributions have gone. Did you know that more money was spent on the police than on primary education, and more on defence than on environmental protection? Have a look at this infographic for more. According to read more »
African Statistics Day 2017: 4 facts about our economy
“Better lives with better economic statistics.” This is the theme for African Statistics Day 2017, taking place on 18 November. In celebration of this prestigious day, Stats SA explores the archives to find four facts on the South African economy that you might have missed. African Statistics Day was initiated by the United Nations to read more »