South Africa’s unemployment rate has increased to 25.5% in the third quarter of 2015, Statistics SA announced on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
This is up by 0.5 of a percentage point from the second quarter rate of 25%, but is still an improvement from the first quarter rate of 26.4%.<\/p>\n
The number of unemployed people increased by 188,000 in the third quarter, compared to the second quarter.<\/p>\n
Of the working-age population of 36.1 million, 15.8 million were employed, 5.4 million were unemployed and 14.9 million were not economically active, thus resulting in an unemployment rate of 25.5%, an absorption rate of 43.8% and a labour force participation rate of 58.8%, Stats SA revealed in its quarterly labour force survey.<\/p>\n
The formal sector accounted for the largest share of employment at 69.1%, while Agriculture accounted for the lowest share (5.7%). Discouraged work-seekers accounted for 15% of the not economically active population, while the share of other (not economically active) was 85%.<\/p>\n
The results for the third quarter of 2015 reflect a quarterly decrease in the not economically active population (200 000) and a quarterly increase in the economically active population (359 000). South Africa’s official unemployment rate increased by 0.5 of a percentage point in the third quarter of 2015, Statistics South Africa said on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
The 25.5% unemployment rate is a far cry from the 6% that the country wishes to achieve by 2030, according to the National Development Plan (NDP).<\/p>\n
The absorption rate is also far off the NDP goal at 43.8%, compared to its aim of 61% absorption rate.<\/p>\n
In the third quarter, the absorption rate was lowest among youth aged between 15 and 24, while it was highest among adults aged between 34 and 64.<\/p>\n
The highest share of the employed population with tertiary qualifications is found among the white and Indian population groups. “In the third quarter, 48.6% of employed white people and 33.8% employed Indians had a tertiary qualification,” Stats SA explained.<\/p>\n
“More than half of the black African and coloured populations had an educational level of less than matric.”<\/p>\n
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