South Africa\u2019s unemployment rate declined to 24.9% in the second quarter of 2012 from 25.2% in the first quarter\u201a Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) said on Tuesday (31 July).<\/p>\n
The expanded unemployment rate\u201a which includes discouraged workers\u201a also declined – to 36.2% from 36.6% in the previous quarter.<\/p>\n
Employment increased by 0.2% or 25\u201a000 between the first and second quarters of 2012 while unemployment declined by 0.3% or 56\u201a000 persons during that period.<\/p>\n
The number of unemployed people now stands at 4.47 million while the number of employed people is at 13.447 million.<\/p>\n
A breakdown of the data shows that the trade sector shed 91\u201a000 jobs while the manufacturing sector shed 44\u201a000 jobs.<\/p>\n
Employment in community and social services\u201a which mainly reflects govt employment\u201a rose by 121\u201a000 between the first and second quarters of the year.<\/p>\n
The number of discouraged work seekers who have given up looking for work declined by 24\u201a000 to 2.311 million people between the first and second quarters.<\/p>\n
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