JOHANNESBURG, March 29 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's unemployment rate increased by 0.4 percentage points from 34.9 percent in the third quarter of 2021 to 35.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021, marking the highest point since the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) was started in 2008.
The Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke said the number of unemployed persons increased by 278,000 to 7.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Youth aged 15-24 years and 25-34 years recorded the highest unemployment rates of 66.5 percent and 43.5 percent respectively. About a third of 10.2 million young people aged 15-24 years were not in employment, education or training.
The number of employed people also increased by 262,000 to 14.5-million during the period under review.
According to the largest labor federation the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), there is a possibility these figures may increase due to rising prices in the next quarter.
The federation said that the response to the problem was disappointing and insufficient.
"The government's decision to suffocate the economy by implementing a framework of economic policies that do not place employment creation as a priority but is geared at reducing the budget deficit and containing the debt burden has backfired," COSATU spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said.
He said the energy crisis had left the economy "bleeding". ■