Pretoria: Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, has expressed approval over the recently released results of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the third quarter of 2024. The findings, disclosed by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) on Tuesday, show a positive trend in the country’s employment landscape, capturing a decrease in the unemployment rate.

According to South African Government News Agency, the official unemployment rate has dropped to 32.1% from the previous quarter’s 33.5%. This marks a substantial improvement as the number of employed individuals rose by 294,000, reaching a total of 16.9 million. Concurrently, the number of unemployed individuals fell by 373,000, bringing the total down to 8.0 million.

The survey also highlighted regional employment growth, with the Eastern Cape adding 83,000 jobs, the Western Cape 75,000, Northwest 69,000, and Mpumalanga 49,000. Importantly, the number of unemployed youth aged 15-34 decreased by 171,000 to 4.8 million, while employed youth saw
an increase of 66,000, summing up to 5.8 million. Consequently, the youth unemployment rate improved, declining from 46.6% in the previous quarter to 45.5% in the third quarter of 2024. Significant job growth was noted in the community and social services, construction, and trade sectors.

“This marks a significant step forward for our economy. The decline in the unemployment rate is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our government working with all relevant stakeholders,” Mhlauli remarked. She attributed the positive outcomes to the Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan and Operation Vulindlela, initiated by President Ramaphosa, which have been pivotal in fostering economic growth and job creation.

The government has committed to ongoing monitoring of the labour market and pledged to provide necessary support to Stats SA to ensure the continued provision of reliable statistical data.