JOHANNESBURG, July 4 (ANA) – The South African economy lost 15,000 jobs in the formal sector between January and March this year, Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) said on Monday.
During the release of the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES), StatsSA said employment decreased by 15,000 employees to 9.3 million in all sectors, compared with the fourth quarter of 2015, except community services, construction, and electricity.
The community services and construction industries recorded increased levels of employment over the same period.
StatsSA said the largest percentage decrease was recorded in trade, followed by transport, mining, manufacturing, and business services.
Employment in the mining industry continued to decline for a sixth consecutive quarter.
In the first quarter of 2016, the number of employees in mining declined by 4,000 employees, following a decline of 17,000 employees observed in the fourth quarter of 2015.
– African News Agency (ANA)
