/ 23 March 2011

SA’s formal employment up 1,2%

The number of people employed in South Africa's non-agricultural sectors increased by 1,2% in the fourth quarter of 2010.

The number of people employed in South Africa’s non-agricultural sectors increased by 1,2% in the fourth quarter of 2010 compared with the third quarter, data showed on Tuesday.

Statistics South Africa said the number of those employed in the formal sector rose to 8,256-million people, from 8,155-million in the third quarter.

Compared to the fourth quarter of 2009, the number of employed people was up 1,1%.

South Africa has lost more than a million jobs since the beginning of 2009, the year the country experienced its first recession since 1992.

The government has said the economy needs to grow by about 7% a year, double the 3,4% seen for 2011, to make a dent on unemployment.

About half of the adult population is jobless in Africa’s largest economy. – Reuters