SA jobless rate drops

Johannesburg - South Africa's unemployment rate dropped slightly to 21.9% in the quarter ended December 2008 from 23.2% in the third quarter, Statistics SA data showed on Monday.

Jobs growth reached 1.4% quarter-on-quarter (q/q) from the -0.5% q/q seen in the third quarter.

The total number of employed people was reported to have lifted by 189 000 to 13.844 million, but the total labour force was down by 59 000 to 17.718 million.

Notably, discouraged work seekers were reported to be up a telling 9.1% q/q, or 97 000, to 1.168 million.

The number of unemployed fell 249 000 to 3.873 million, a -6.0% q/q drop.

However, the not economically active population was 152 000 higher at 13.176 million.

Formal, non-agricultural employment lifted 98 000 to 9.537 million on the quarter, while the informal, non-agricultural sector gained 71 000 jobs to 2.246 million.

Agricultural sector jobs showed a loss of three thousand to 764 000.

Those employed in private households gained 24, 000 to 1.298 million.

- I-Net Bridge