Unemployment Rate Increased From 32.9% to 33.5%, South Africans Disheartened

• Statistics SA released its latest figures on unemployment, and the numbers are looking grim as unemployment went up
• The percentage of the South African population that is unemployed increased to 33.5% from 32.9% in the second quarter
• South Africans were disappointed in the government, and many pointed their fingers at the country's porous borders

Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News's current affairs journalist, covered current affairs relating to the economy, finance, banks, and state-owned enterprises during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

JOHANNESBURG—Statistics South Africa released its latest unemployment statistics, showing that more people are unemployed now than three months ago.

The unemployment rate has increased

According to @StatsSA, the unemployment rate for the second quarter of 2024 was 33.5%, compared to the previous quarter's 32.9%. 8.4 million people are unemployed, and 16.3 million are not economically active.

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The number of people employed increased to 16.7 million in 2024 from 14.1 million in 2020. The North West has the highest unemployment rate, with 54.2% of the residents without jobs, followed by the Eastern Cape. The formal sector employs 68.9% of the population. The informal sector is the only sector where employment increased by 48,000 jobs.

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South Africans were dismayed at the figures

The number of unemployed people in South Africa left netizens disheartened by the statistics.

Meme Comman said:

"Close the borders and deport all immigrants with no critical skills. Also, arrest the manager/CEO of any company found to employ immigrants over locals."

A Revolutionary said:

"Go and do statistics on how many foreigners are working in SA. We don't have an unemployment crisis. We have an economic immigration problem."

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King Mkhonto said:

"The government is incapable of dealing with such matters."

Dlamini said:

"The government has no solution on this matter. It's a disgrace."

Phumudzo Makhani said:

"This is disturbing."

Unemployed person enters a store and starts working

In a similar article, Briefly News reported that an unemployed South African took matters into his own hands by working in a store.

The gent entered a PEP store and shouted that he was tired of looking for work. He hilariously started working behind a counter, leaving people in stitches.

Source: Briefly News