South Africa's official unemployment rate for the fourth quarter of 2014 dropped 1.1 percentage point to 24.3%.
Statistics South Africa says that on a quarter-to-quarter basis there has been a decline in the levels of people who are unemployed.
Stats SA's Kefiloe Masiteng says 242 000 people found work in the fourth quarter last year while a total of 4.9 million people were officially unemployed.
The official unemployment rate is made up of those who are jobless, but are actively looking for work.
The expanded unemployment rate, which includes people who have given up looking for work, is at 34.6%, or 8.1 million people.
Meanwhile, Stats SA says the Eastern Cape shed 42 000 jobs between the third and fourth quarters of 2014 - the most by any province.
The Western Cape lost 12 0000 jobs and was the only other province to shed jobs over this period.
