Kaya 959 Reporter
South Africa’s unemployment rate has risen to an all-time high.
The unemployment rate in South Africa increased to 35.3 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2021, up from 34.9 per cent in the third quarter, due to job losses primarily in manufacturing and construction, this is according to the statistics agency.
Statistics South Africa reported that the number of unemployed persons increased to 7.921 million in October-December, compared to 7.643 million in the preceding three months.
This is the highest unemployment rate since the start of the Quarterly Labour Force Surveys in 2008.
Kaya Biz with Gugulethu Mphufi spoke to Ravi Naidoo, the CEO of the Youth Employment Service on the unemployment crisis in South Africa.
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[THREAD] South Africa’s #unemployment rate increased by 0,4 of a percentage point to 35,3% in Q4:2021 compared to Q3:2021.#StatsSA pic.twitter.com/zq6HfIE1nL
— Stats SA (@StatsSA) March 29, 2022
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The latest report indicates that youth aged 15-24 years and 25-34 years recorded the highest unemployment rates of 66,5% and 43,5% respectively.
There were increases in the number of employed and unemployed in Q4:2021.
— Stats SA (@StatsSA) March 29, 2022
Read more here: https://t.co/hmuO1OoTjK#StatsSA #employment #unemployment pic.twitter.com/RwKyJD9lVV
The Covid-19 pandemic, according to Stats SA, worsened South Africa’s labour market challenges last year.
Prior to the epidemic, the economy was already experiencing significant unemployment as a result of issues such as continuous power outages, which stifled growth and contributed to poverty and inequality.
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