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Jobs in WC agriculture sector grows

Cape Town -  Despite jobs in the Western Cape’s agriculture sector increasing by 17%, more still needs to be done, said Minister of Economic Opportunities Alan Winde.

"Over the past year, jobs in primary agriculture have grown from 214 000 to 250 000."

READ: Slight drop in SA's unemployment rate

The Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the fourth quarter of 2016 released by Statistics South Africa on Tuesday indicate employment rose in all sectors, with formal sector employment rising by 127 000 while informal sector employment increased by 53 000. Employment in Agriculture went up by 38 000 and private household Agriculture employment by 17 000.

According to the report, the Western Cape’s unemployment rate is 20.5%, compared to national at 26.5%. The province’s Labour Force Participation Rate, an indicator of how many people are working or actively looking for work, is at 68%.

“In total, jobs grew by 70 000 in the fourth quarter and by 6 000 year-on-year, bringing our broad unemployment rate down to 23.6%, the lowest in the country," said Winde, adding: "We know this is still not good enough."

He pointed out that it is important to note employment numbers between quarters can vary greatly and are influenced by a range of factors, and annual comparisons do offer a more balanced view on jobs growth.

Winde said the Western Cape had a good harvest and the unemployment rate in the non-metro areas dropped to 14%, despite the ongoing drought.

"We prioritise conservation agriculture, which has limited the impact of the drought in some of our agricultural regions. We also reported on the gains in tourism as visitor arrivals increased across the province, and the progress we’re making is evident in the numbers.”

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