Three good things to take out of bleak unemployment rates

While SA's unemployment rate continues to climb to the worst levels in more than a decade, three sectors have seen positive growth in the past quarter.

On Tuesday, Stats SA revealed that SA’s unemployment rate hit its highest level in 11 years - 29.1% in the third quarter of 2019.

According to Stats SA's Quarterly Labour Force Survey, 6.7-million people were  unemployed in the three months to September 30.

Sunday Times reported that statistician-general Risenga Maluleke said high declines in employment in the third quarter were recorded in the manufacturing sector, which shed 30,000 jobs, followed by construction at 24,000, trade 21,000 and utilities 18,000.

Three good things

However, the formal sector, agriculture, and the private household sectors recorded the highest increases in the number of people employed during the period.

Formal sector employment increased by 43,000, agriculture increased by 38,000 and private household employment increased by 35,000.

Added to that, employment also increased in five of the 10 occupations in the third quarter of 2019 compared with the previous quarter.

The largest increase was observed in professional occupations, which were up by 122,000 jobs, followed by those in sales and services up by 89,000 and elementary up by 38,000.