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Blog : 17 August 2016 (Unemployment rate per province and metros)
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We take a look at South Africa's province's unemployment rates as well as the unemployment rate of various metropolitan areas within the various provinces. The Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) as published by Statistics South Africa recently started published more dis aggregated data on the unemployment rate, and this is where we get the data from.
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Unemployment Rates per province
Before looking at the unemployment rates of various metro's within South Africa, we will take a look at the unemployment rate per province over time first. The line graph below shows the unemployment rate per province per quarter from quarter 1:2015 to quarter 2:2016. What is clear from the line graph below is that all South Africa's provinces have a relatively high unemployment rate, with most of the provinces having an unemployment rate above 20%. Essentially one out of every five eligible for work citizens in South Africa is without a job. The official unemployment rate for South Africa, as at end of quarter 2, 2016 is 26.6%. Essentially one out of every 4 people eligible and willing to work citizens in South Africa are without a job.
While Gauteng is South Africa's main economic hub, massive migration into the province is leading to high levels of unemployment experienced in Gauteng. Surprisingly one of the poorer and smaller provinces in terms of economic size, Limpopo, has the lowest unemployment rate.
The graphic below takes a look at the unemployment rate per metropolitan area (where one is available as calculated by Statistics South Africa).
Unemployment Rate per Metropolitan Area
The line graph above shows the unemployment rate per quarter from Q1: 2015 to Q2:2016 per metropolitan area. Interesting to note that the eThekweni municipality has the lowest unemployment rate, while Nelson Mandela Bay (in Eastern Cape) and Ekurhuleni (in Gauteng) is fighting it out for the metro with the highest official unemployment rate.
A surprise is the fact that Buffalo City (East London), in Eastern Cape has a lower unemployment rate than that of Nelson Mandela Bay. City of Cape Town coming in with the second lowest unemployment rate of the metros that has an official unemployment rate.
With Statistics South Africa having recently started publishing unemployment data on metropolitan level, we would be able to more accurately measure if political parties will/can make good on their promise of reducing unemployment in the metros that they govern.
Since the Democratic Alliance (DA) is set to unseat the ANC with "tacit" support from the EFF in two Gauteng metros and Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape, a close eye will be kept on the unemployment levels of the metro's in question to see if the DA will be able to do any better in these metros than the ANC that use to govern them before. DA has their work cut out in Nelson Mandela Bay, with unemployment rate sitting at 32% for end of quarter 2, 2016. The ANC even more so with unemployment in the Ekurhuleni metro sitting at 34.6% for quarter 2, 2016
Interesting times ahead. As more detailed data becomes available (in more regular intervals) with time, it becomes easier to not only track the performance of political parties in various metros but to report on them too. The DA has been talking the talk, now its time to walk the walk. And statistics and numbers will be there to measure their performance every step of the way.
Since the Democratic Alliance (DA) is set to unseat the ANC with "tacit" support from the EFF in two Gauteng metros and Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape, a close eye will be kept on the unemployment levels of the metro's in question to see if the DA will be able to do any better in these metros than the ANC that use to govern them before. DA has their work cut out in Nelson Mandela Bay, with unemployment rate sitting at 32% for end of quarter 2, 2016. The ANC even more so with unemployment in the Ekurhuleni metro sitting at 34.6% for quarter 2, 2016
Interesting times ahead. As more detailed data becomes available (in more regular intervals) with time, it becomes easier to not only track the performance of political parties in various metros but to report on them too. The DA has been talking the talk, now its time to walk the walk. And statistics and numbers will be there to measure their performance every step of the way.