Trade union membership in South Africa has decreased by 17‚000 members in a year. This is according to the latest Stats SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey‚ released on Wednesday‚ for the period between the second quarter of 2014 and second quarter of 2015 (Q2:2015).The largest decrease was among those whose salaries were determined through a bargaining council or other sector bargaining arrangement‚ the report said.Approximately 3‚7 million employees were union members in the second quarter of this year.“Of these‚ unions negotiated salary increments for only 78‚1% of those employees who were union members‚” the report said. “About 8% of the employees had their salary negotiated through a bargaining council and 5‚7% had no regular salary increment in Q2: 2015.”Overall‚ more than half of South Africa’s employees (53‚7%) had their salary increments determined by their employers only‚ the survey found.The working-age population of people between the ages of 15-64 was 36 million‚ of whom 15‚7 million were employed‚ 5‚2 million unemployed and 15‚1 million not economically active‚ “resulting in an unemployment rate of 25%‚ absorption rate of 43‚5% and labour force participation rate of 58‚1%”.The share of the employed population who are graduates was highest among the white (26‚9%) and Indian/Asian (22‚7%) population groups.Over half of employed black Africans and the coloured population did not complete their matric education‚ the survey found.“Relatively small proportions of employed black Africans and the coloured population group completed tertiary education compared to their white and Indian/Asian counterparts.”For one employed black African graduate‚ there were five employed white graduates and four employed Indian graduates in the second quarter of 2015‚ it found.“Over the period 2008-2015‚ the level of education has improved among both youth and adults with a shift in the proportions from the lowest education levels into higher categories. Despite this improvement‚ in 2015 as many as 43‚7% of employed youth and 50‚1% of employed adults had education levels below matric.”More than one out of every two (55‚9%) young people and two out of every three adults (66‚7%) who were unemployed and looking for work only had education below the matric level...