South Africa Jobless Rate Rises In Q1

(RTTNews) - South Africa's jobless rate increased in the first quarter, data from Statistics South Africa showed on Tuesday.

The jobless rate rose to 32.9 percent in the first quarter from 32.1 percent in the fourth quarter.

In the corresponding period last year, the unemployment rate was 32.9 percent.

The number of unemployed people increased to 8.23 million in the first quarter from 7.9 million in the previous quarter.

Meanwhile, the employment rate stood at 40.7 percent versus 40.8 percent in the December quarter.

The number of employed persons increased by 22,000 to 16.745 million in the March quarter from 16.723 million in the previous three-month period.