Unemployment rate rises to 32.9%

By Kopano Gumbi

South Africa’s unemployment rate rose in the first quarter of this year, with statisticians fretting that increasing numbers of people appear to have given up looking for work.

The country’s official unemployment rate – one of the highest in the world – rose to 32.9% from 31.9% in the final quarter of last year.

An expanded definition of unemployment, which includes those discouraged from looking for work, rose to 43.1% from 41.9%.

Desiree Manamela, chief director of labour statistics at Statistics South Africa, said there were signs that more people of working age were losing hope that work would materialise.

“That increase in discouraged work-seekers, it’s a … worry because we would want to see people being active in the labour market by either looking for employment or participating,” Manamela told a press conference.

Five of the 10 industries tracked by the statistics agency recorded employment increases