Quarter-on-quarter SA employment figures record 10,000 jobs increase

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The 0.1% increase saw employment increase from 9 974 000 in June 2022 to 9 984,000 in September 2022.

The agency said the increase was largely due to increases in several industries.

These included business services (31,000 or 1.3%), trade (10,000 or 0.5%), construction (8,000 or 1.5%), mining (5,000 or 1.0%), transport (4,000 or 1.0%) and manufacturing (1,000 or 0.1%). The electricity industry reported no quarterly change.

However, said StatsSA, the community services industry reported a quarterly decrease of 49,000 employees or -1.7%.

Over this period, employment increased by 31,000 or 0.3% year-on-year between September 2021 and September 2022.

Over the four months, full-time employment increased by 36,000, from 8,837,000 in June 2022 to 8,873,000 in September 2022.

“This was largely due to increases in the following industries: business services (15,000 or 0.7%), trade (12,000 or 0.6%), mining (5,000 or 1.0%), transport (2,000 or 0.5%), community services (2,000 or 0.1%), and construction (1,000 or 0.2%). The electricity industry reported no quarterly change.

“However, the manufacturing industry reported a quarterly decrease of 1,000 employees or -0.1%,” said StatsSA.

Between September 2021 and September 2022, full-time employment decreased by 16,000 (-0.2%) year-on-year.

The agency said part-time employment decreased by 26,000 or (2.3%) quarter-on-quarter, from 1,137,000 in June 2022 to 1,111,000 in September 2022.

It said this was largely due to decreases in the following industries: community services (-51 000 or -9.5%) and trade (-2 000 or -0.9%). The electricity industry reported no quarterly change. However, there were increases in the following industries: business services (16 000 or 7.2%), construction (7,000 or 10.9%), transport (2,000 or 12.5%) and manufacturing (2,000 or 2.6%).

Part-time employment increased by 47,000 (4.4%) year-on-year between September 2021 and September 2022.

“Gross earnings paid to employees increased by R11.1bn (1.4%) from R789.4bn in June 2022 to R800.5bn in September 2022.

“This was largely due to increases in the following industries: business services, mining, trade, manufacturing and electricity. However, there were decreases in the following industries: transport, construction and community services,” it said.

The year-on-year gross earnings increased by R17.5bn (2.2%) between September 2021 and September 2022.

Over the reporting period, StatsSA said basic salary/wages paid to employees increased by R12.0bn (1.7%) from R719.2bn in June 2022 to R731,2bn in September 2022. This was largely due to increases in the following industries: mining, trade, business services, community service, manufacturing, transport and electricity. However, the construction industry reported a quarterly decrease.

The year-on-year basic salary/wages increased by R17.8bn or 2.5% between September 2021 and September 2022, the agency said.