PRETORIA: Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has confirmed that the unemployment rate declined over the first quarter of the year.

The official unemployment rate was 34.5% in the first quarter of 2022, improved from 35.3% in the previous reporting period.

The unemployment rate according to the expanded definition of unemployment also decreased by 0.7 of a percentage point to 45.5% in quarter one of this year when compared to the final three months of 2021.

This data translates to 370,000 jobs gained in the period assessed.

The biggest job gains were recorded in community and social Services, whilst the manufacturing and trade sectors also saw more people employed. On the flip side, there were job losses in private households, finance, construction and agriculture.

Darul Ihsan Media Desk