QES data - employment declined in the second quarter

Statistics South Africa yesterday announced the results of the quarterly employment survey. It measures employment among 20,000 businesses. The focus is therefore on the formal sector and the survey excludes the agricultural sector. The figures we get here look slightly different from the Labor Force Survey. The QLFS is a survey among households and gives more details about who has a job, and who is looking for a job. Yesterday's figures were for the second quarter of this year, up to the end of June. South Africa reached a record high level of unemployment in the second quarter and the QES figures confirm this.