![\"Trends](\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Trends-in-employment.png\")
<\/a>Trends in employment<\/p><\/div>\n
StatsSA noted that women suffer from a higher incidence of long – term unemployment compared with men.<\/p>\n
The results also suggest that the incidence of long – term unemployment is highest among black Africans, those with a matric qualification and the long – term unemployed who have had no previous work experience.<\/p>\n
The incidence of long-term unemployment peaked in 2011 with 28.5% of unemployed people looking for work for more than five years, an additional 16.2% engaging in job search for three to five years and a further 23.9% looking for work for one to three years.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Incidence of unemployment<\/p><\/div>\n
Over the period 2008\u20132014, the incidence of long-term unemployment was highest among Black Africans with as many as 61.0% – 71.0% of that group looking for work for one year or longer.<\/p>\n
The unemployment rate among the white population group – ranging between 4.1% in 2008 and 7.3% in 2014 – is the lowest of all the population groups by a large margin, the data found.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir better status in the labour market is also signalled by absorption rates that are substantially higher than the other groups,\u201d StatsSA said.<\/p>\n
In 2014, Black Africans account for 79.3% of the working age population but they are under -represented among the employed (73.0%) and over-represented among the unemployed (85.7%) and the not economically active population (83.3%).<\/p>\n
Compounding the dire labour market situation of Black Africans, is that an even larger percentage (87,4%) of those that are unemployed have been looking for work for one year or longer, StatsSA said.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Employment by race group<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Labour market rates by population group<\/p><\/div>\n
The data also reveals the substantial gender bias in the incidence of long-term unemployment. The percentage of both men and women that were unemployed for one year or longer was highest in 2011 at 64.9% and 72.4% respectively.<\/p>\n
By 2014, the percentage of unemployed people looking for work for one year or longer had fallen to 61.8% among men and 70.3% among women.<\/p>\n
The data showed that in both 2008 and 2014, the incidence of long-term unemployment was lowest among those with tertiary education.<\/p>\n
Over the period 2008 – 2014, there were increases for every education level, but it was among those with tertiary education that the increase was largest (10.7 percentage points).<\/p>\n
<\/a>Employment by level of education<\/p><\/div>\n
In the post – recession period, since 2010 the incidence of long – term unemployment among those with work experience has been in the 54.0% to 58.0% range\u2013up from 48.3% in 2008 before the recession occurred.<\/p>\n
For those with no prior work experience the situation is substantially worse. The incidence of long-term unemployment for this group ranges from 80.0% – 83.4%, up from 74.9% in 2008, the data found.<\/p>\n
Increased poverty<\/h3>\n
The number of South Africans living in poverty has also increased since 2010, Statistics SA said.<\/p>\n
In 2010, 20 percent of South Africa’s population fell below the poverty line, statistician general Pali Lehohla said in Johannesburg, at the release of a report on poverty.<\/p>\n
This had increased to 21.5 percent in 2014, he said.<\/p>\n
Five years ago, it cost an average South African R321 per month to buy food with the recommended energy requirements. This had increased to R355 in 2014.<\/p>\n
More on jobs in South Africa<\/h3>\n
South Africa\u2019s best and worst paying jobs<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n