Employment in the formal non-agricultural sector grew slightly between the third and fourth quarters of last year, Statistics SA said on Tuesday.
The December 2011 quarterly employment statistics survey found the number of people employed in this sector increased by 0.3%, or by 23 000 employees.
In total, about 8.4-million people were in formal non-agricultural employment at the end of December.
When comparing the fourth quarter of last year with the same quarter a year before, there was an annual increase of 1.6%, or 130 000 people employed.
Gross earnings paid to employees in this sector increased to R364-billion for the quarter.
This was an increase of R24-billion compared to the previous quarter.
The average monthly earnings, including bonuses and overtime payments, of employees in this sector was estimated to be R13 284 in December.
This had risen by 2.8% from an estimated R12 923 in August, Stats SA said. — Sapa