Electricity jobs help push total employment up by 0.4%

Total employment is up, thanks in part to jobs in the electricity sector, but SA is shedding full-time jobs.

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA)’s latest Quarterly Employment Statistics report found 39 000 more people were employed from April to June this year, a 0.4% increase over the three months before it, but full-time employment was down.

According to the report, released on Thursday, the increase was due to more jobs in community services (40 000 or 1.4%), business services (12 000 or 0.5%), mining (2 000 or 0.4%) and electricity (1 000 or 1.7%).

However, there were job losses in manufacturing (10 000 or 0.8%), transport (3 000 or 0.7%), trade (2 000 or 0.1%) and construction (1 000 or 0.2%).

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Total employment was up 104 000 or 1.0% over the previous year, but it came from part-time work.

Full-time employment decreased by 25 000, or 0.3% quarter-on-quarter, to 8 791 000 in June, while part-time employment increased by 64 000 or 5.2% quarter-on-quarter.

The community services sector that contributed to the increase in total employment ditched full-time jobs for part-time work. With increases in part-time business services, construction, and electricity jobs.

But more jobs in the electricity sector did not guarantee more money, with it being among the sectors to see a decrease in earnings paid to employees.

Stats SA said gross earnings paid to employees increased by R3,6 billion or 0.4% to R832,4 billion in June.

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

“The year-on-year total gross earnings increased by R42,9 billion or 5.4% between June 2022 and June 2023,” it said.

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Basic salary/wages paid to employees increased by R19,3 billion or 2.6% from R738,5 billion in March to R757,8 billion in June.

Unemployment rate

Stats SA announced last month the official unemployment rate for South Africans decreased by 0.3 percentage points to 32.6% in the second quarter from 32.9%.

The Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) found unemployed people decreased by 11 000 to 7,9 million, but those not economically active for reasons other than discouragement increased to 13,3 million.

Additional reporting by Ina Opperman