South African labour market is more favourable to men than women
Equal opportunity and equal treatment in the labour market are at the core of decent work. Unfortunately, women in South Africa and around the world still face additional challenges that hinder them from accessing employment. Once they are in employment, appointments to decision-making positions and jobs in certain sectors, or of certain characteristics, remain elusive. read more »
Statistics South Africa to resume field visits to ensure data integrity for household surveys amid COVID-19 restrictions
For immediate release 1 April 2021 Statistics South Africa to read more »
More people participate in the South African labour market in the 4th quarter of 2020
According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), there was an increase of 333 000 in the number of employed persons, an increase of 701 000 in the number of unemployed persons and a decrease of 890 000 in the number of people who are out of the labour force, in the 4th quarter of 2020 compared to read more »
Significant movements into the labour force in the 3rd quarter of 2020
In the 3rd quarter of 2020 there were significant movements in the South African labour market. According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), a large number of persons moved from the “other not economically active” category to “employed” and “unemployed” status between quarter two and quarter three of 2020. The movement was proportionately more read more »
Vulnerability of youth in the South African labour market
The results of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the first quarter of 2020 indicate that employment decreased by 38 000 to 16,4 million and the number of unemployed persons increased by 344 000 to 7,1 million. As a result, the official unemployment rate increased by 1 percentage point to (30,1%) compared to the fourth quarter read more »
How do women fare in the South African labour market?
The South African labour market is more favourable to men than it is to women and men are more likely to be in paid employment than women, regardless of race. According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey released by Statistics South Africa, the official unemployment rate has been relatively high since 2008. In the last read more »
Labour market dynamics in South Africa, 2014 report
PRESS STATEMENT APRIL 2015 Highlights The effects of the 2008–2009 global financial crisis on the South African economy continued to linger in 2014. This, combined with factors such as constrained electricity supply and labour unrest, has negatively impacted on the performance of the economy. Slowing growth rates over the period 2010–2013 (averaging 2,7%), continued into read more »
Quarterly Employment Survey (QES)
Press Statement, 29 September 2014 The Quarterly Employment Survey complements the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS). Although the results may differ due to different coverage and conceptual issues, there are some adjustments which can be conducted on the QLFS data to improve the comparability of these surveys. However, in some cases even after the adjustments read more »
The South African workforce shifts towards skilled jobs, but patterns still differ between race groups
There has been a shift in the last twenty years from low-skilled to semi-skilled and skilled work within the South African workforce. This was one of the results presented by the Statistician-General Pali Lehohla on the 15th September at a media event on youth unemployment. Comparisons of data from the 1994 October Household Survey and read more »
Unemployment in South Africa: A Youth Perspective
South Africa, like many countries globally, grapples with the challenge of youth unemployment. This is supported by statistics indicating a 45,5% unemployment rate among young individuals (aged 15-34 years), in contrast to the national average of 32,9% in the first quarter of 2024. However, when looking at the Labour Market Dynamics in South Africa report read more »