The unemployment rate has increased by one percentage point since last quarter to 29.1%, the worst it’s been since 2008 according to an announcement made by Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) on Tuesday.

StatsSA said that the number of employed persons increased by 62 000 while the number of unemployed persons increased by 78 000, resulting in an increase of 141 000 in the labour force. The South African working-age population increased by 149 000 in the third quarter compared to the second quarter. Statistician general Risenga Maluleke said it was the highest unemployment rate since the survey started in 2008.

The expanded definition of unemployment, which includes people who have stopped looking for work, was 38.5%, unchanged from the previous quarter.

The government has embarked on a campaign to create jobs and investment, but the figures show that there has been no improvement so far.