Unemployment Rate Declines in 1st and 2nd Quarter of 2022, Quarterly Labour Force Survey Finds

• The country's unemployment rate has seen a slight decrease in the first and second quarters of the year
• According to Statistics SA, the country’s unemployment rate decreased by 0,6% during the first six month of 2022
• The Quarterly Labour Force Survey found that jobs in the community and social services, trade and construction increased

JOHANNESBURG - At least 648 000 jobs were created during the year’s first and second quarters, leading to a decrease to 33.9% in the second quarter from 34.5% in the first in the country’s official unemployment rate.

Statistics SA found that the country’s unemployment rate decreased by 0,6%, SABC News reported. More than 15 million South Africans are employed, while eight million are without jobs.

The Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) said that jobs in the community and social services, trade and construction increased, while in the manufacturing and transport sectors, they decreased.

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According to News24, the number of job seekers declined from 45.5% to 44.1% for the third consecutive quarter.

South Africans aren’t convinced about the employment stats:

Monehela Bhele Sidyiyo said:

“They are not telling the truth. Unemployment in South Africa is over 50%.”

Ronald Jembi-jembi Bacajuju commented:

“These numbers are rigged and they use numbers to canvass for Ramaphosa’s second term.”

Eric Vuso posted:

“That’s just a drop in the ocean considering how many citizens have lost hope in the ability of the country to rise again.”

Danny Ma-Kay added:

“The unemployment rate should be 80%+, that statistician was hired by backdoor they know nothing, corruption only, why dropped? Who got hired? What about those who are losing jobs every day?”

South Africa’s unemployment rate improves, declines slightly to 34.5% in 1st quarter, 7.9 million unemployed

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In a related matter, Briefly News also reported the country’s rate of unemployment saw a slight improvement in the first quarter of the year compared to the fourth quarter of last year. However, 7.9-million people remain jobless in the country.

Statistics SA released its findings related to the unemployment rate on Monday, 30 May. During the fourth quarter of 2021, the unemployment rate stood at 35.3%, which was a record high, the figure decreased to 34.5% in 2022.

The expanded unemployment rate also saw a decline from 46.2% to 45.5%. According to Fin24, the expanded rate includes citizens who had given up on searching for work.

Source: Briefly News