PRETORIA (Reuters) -South Africa’s unemployment rate fell slightly to 32.6% in the second quarter of this year from 32.9% in the first quarter, reaching its lowest since the first quarter of 2021, data showed on Tuesday.
Statistics South Africa said the number of unemployed people was 7.921 million in the second quarter versus 7.933 million in the first quarter.
Analysts had predicted the official unemployment rate would remain at 32.9% in the second three months of the year.
According to an expanded definition of unemployment that includes those discouraged from seeking work, 42.1% of the labour force was jobless in April-June compared with 42.4% in January-March.
(Reporting by Kopano GumbiEditing by Alexander Winning)
