workforce
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The labour absorption rate is the proportion of the working-age population aged 15 to 64 years that is employed. It is also known as the employment-to-population ratio.
Last updated: 28 September 2026
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The number of people employed in South Africa in specific industries. The employment numbers in this dataset combine both part-time and full-time employees. The data is sourced from Statistics South Africa's Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) in selected industries: The Quarterly Employment Statistics are the findings of an enterprise survey conducted by Stats SA based on samples drawn from private non-agricultural businesses (factories, firms, offices and stores), as well as from national, provincial and local government entities to measure employment figures
Last updated: 7 October 2026
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The historical minimum wage in South Africa from 2019. The National Minimum Wage Act came into effect on 1 January 2019. The rates are per hour in ZAR.
Last updated: 22 October 2026
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Statistics South Africa publishes the figures which provide the national unemployment rate as part of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey. This national survey breaks down the working age population (people between age 15-64) into two main categories - those counted as part of the labour force' and those 'outside of the labour force'. The official unemployment rate is the proportion of the labour force that is unemployed. But this rate doesn't account for the population that are of working age, but are categorised as 'outside the labour force'. ‘Discouraged workers’ - i.e people who are unemployed but could not find a job and have given up trying to, are one such category of people not accounted for in the unemployment rate. Stats SA therefore also publishes various other ‘labour underutilisation’ (LU) measures in order to more accurately measure the labour market. These include measurements for time-related underemployment, and the ‘potential labour force’. Note the following categories that the data is broken down into 1. Working-age population = Labour force + Outside the labour force 2. Labour force = Employed + Unemployed 3. Outside the labour force = Potential labour force + Other outside the labour force 4. Potential labour force = People who are seeking work but unavailable for it + People who are available for work, who are not actively seeking it, including 'Discouraged-job-seekers'.
Last updated: 10 November 2026
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