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The official unemployment rate in South Africa has increased by 0.4 to 35.3%
Stats SA published the numbers for the last quarter of 2021 on Tuesday.
Director, Dihlelelo Phoshoko says the number of unemployed people increased by 278 000 to 7,9 million in the 4th quarter of last year compared to the previous quarter.
She says the number of the not economically active population decreased by 397 000 to 17. 4 million during this quarter.
This is the highest unemployment rate since the quarterly labour force survey began in 2008.
The number of discouraged work-seekers decreased by 56 000 (1,4%) and the number of people who were not economically active for reasons other than discouragement decreased by 341 000 (2,4%) between the two quarters.
Job losses were mostly in manufacturing and construction which saw 85 000 and 25 000 jobs lost respectively.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance says the unemployment figures show that the Eastern Cape is still suffering from a Covid-19 pandemic jobs hangover.
MPL, Bobby Stevenson, says this is because the recovery for the province is far too slow, even though the Quarterly Labour Force Survey shows a slight drop in unemployment numbers from 47.4% to 45%.
He says the expanded unemployment rate had also dropped slightly, from 54.5% to 53.2%.
Stevenson says we are yet to see the full impact of the economic fall-out of the Ukraine crisis is yet to be fully felt, especially in the local agricultural sector as rising fuel prices, fertilizer shortages drive up production costs while exports such as citrus suffer.
