It’s been a tough two years since COVID-19 shook the global workforce, with South Africa being no exception. However, good news, no matter how slight, is still uplifting, and Stats SA’s recent labour force survey for 2022’s first quarter is exactly that.
Statstics South Africa announced recently that there were 370 000 jobs gained between the fourth quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022.
“The above changes in employment and unemployment resulted in the official unemployment rate decreasing by 0,8 of a percentage point from 35,3% in the fourth quarter of 2021 to 34,5% in the first quarter of 2022,” said Stats SA.
Stats SA noted that the biggest job gains were seen in Community and Social Services (281 000), Manufacturing (263 000) and Trade (98 000).
However, there were losses in private households (186 000), Finance (72 000), Construction (60 000) and Agriculture (23 000), it added.
Overall, 14.9 million South Africans were recorded as employed for this year’s first quarter, and the unemployed youth rate declined slightly by 01.%.
Of work trends, the data reveals that in the Western Cape and Gauteng, working from home populations was higher than in any other province.
The unemployment rate in the Western Cape as an official unemployment rate dropped from the last quarter of 2021 to 25,2%.
The City of Cape Town is celebrating that its programmes to spur job creation are reaping the rewards, with Alderman Jos Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth expressing that Cape Town maintained the “lowest unemployment rate on the expanded definition of all metros, at 30%”.
“Our Jobs Connect Workforce Development platform, for example, is where the City is helping job-seekers to source knowledge, training and employment opportunities while linking businesses with the appropriate individuals that will help them expand their operations,” the statement elaborates. It further added that the focus on women and youth is shining brightly with the Cape Skills and Employment Accelerator Project.
Of programmes to boost job creation and training, Jos Vos notes that these initiatives are once again part of the focus of the City, with Council recently approving R713 million for the Economic Growth budget.
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