JOHANNESBURG – Despite positive job figures in the second quarter of the year, Stats SA says the economy is shedding full-time jobs.
Employment in the formal non-agricultural sector went up by 0.4 percent between April and June, driven by community and business services, as well as the mining industry.
Total employment was up by a percent compared to the same period last year, mostly driven up by part-time jobs.
The quarter ending June 2023 saw a rise in employment by 64,000 part-time jobs.
Community and business services were again the two sectors to drive up employment.
Part-time jobs in the construction industry and the electricity sector also contributed to positive figures.
Compared to the same quarter last year, part-time employment went up more than twice the quarterly figure.
Stats SA’s Matlapane Masupye said some industries appeared to be ditching full-time jobs for more flexible contracts.
“The number of full-time workers decreased by 25,000 in the quarter ending June 2023, dropping from 8,816,000 in March 2023 to 8,791,000.”
In contrast, the country’s official unemployment rate sits at 32.6%.