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PRETORIA, Nov 10 (Reuters) – South Africa’s unemployment rate rose marginally in the third quarter (ZAUNR=ECI), data showed on Tuesday, underlining a key concern for voters at last week’s municipal elections when the African National Congress received a drubbing.
- Statistics South Africa figures put the official jobless rate at 33.7%, up from 33.6% in the second quarter (ZAUNR=ECI),
- Opinion polls showed high levels of unemployment were one factor contributing to voter frustration with the ANC, whose share of the vote fell sharply in the local government election
- The ANC-led coalition government formed after the 2024 national election has struggled to boost job creation despite prioritising economic reforms and achieving a modest pickup in growth
- South Africa’s official unemployment rate has remained above 30% for six years and is among the highest in the world
- Employment declined in three sectors in July-September — private households, agriculture and construction — while finance, manufacturing and mining were among the sectors that added jobs, the statistics agency said
- An expanded definition of unemployment, which includes people discouraged from seeking work, rose to 44.0% in the third quarter from 43.8% in the previous quarter
- Women, young people and Black South Africans remain especially vulnerable to unemployment
Reporting by Kopano Gumbi; Writing by Nilutpal Timsina; Editing by Alexander Winning and Andrew Heavens
