South Africa’s unemployment rate has decreased by 0.4 of a percentage point to 27.1% for the fourth quarter of 2018, Statistics South Africa announced on Tuesday.
Statistician-General of South Africa RisengaMaluleke says education plays a critical role in being absorbed into the labour market.
According to stats SA the industries that recorded declines in employment were a community and social services, with 51 000 job losses, transport with 30 000, utilities with 22 000 and construction with 21 000. Employment gains were recorded in five of the nine provinces in the fourth quarter of 2018. The largest employment increases were recorded in Gauteng at 86 000, Free State with 33 000 and Western Cape with 26 000.
Between quarter four of 2017 and quarter four of 2018, the percentage of young persons aged 15–24 years, who were not employed, education or training (NEET) increased by 1.4 percentage points to 31.1%.
The NEET rate was higher for females compared to that of their male counterparts in both time periods. Compared to quarter four of 2017, the percentage of youth aged 15–34 years, who were not in NEET, increased by 0.5% from 38.4% to 38.9% in quarter four of 2018. This means that four in every ten young females were not in employment, education, or training.
