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The roller-coaster economy of South Africa is bleeding its labour force, with companies down-scaling, some even exiting the market and the US African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) having expired, economic outlook for the country looks rather bleak.
Stats SA a released a rather disheartening Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) for Quarter two, whereby the report shows that the formal non-agricultural sector lost 80 000 jobs, a decrease of -0.8%, with employment falling from 10,59 million in March 2025 to 10,51 million by June 2025. According to the survey, 229 000 jobs were lost between June 2024 and June 2025.
However, the mining and electricity sectors made some gains in employment.
According to the report; During the reporting period, the community services industry experienced the highest job losses, with a reduction of 53 000 jobs. The trade industry followed, losing 10 000 jobs. The manufacturing industry saw a decrease of 9 000 jobs, while the construction industry lost 7 000 jobs. The transport and business services industries each lost 2 000 jobs.
However, the mining industry reported an increase of 2 000 jobs, while electricity added 1 000 jobs during the specified period.
The number of full-time jobs decreased by 44 000, declining from 9 457 000 in the first quarter of 2025 to 9 413 000 in the second quarter of 2025.
Several industries experienced declines in full-time employment. The community services industry lost 14 000 jobs, while the business services industry lost 9 000 jobs. The manufacturing industry saw a reduction of 8 000 jobs, while construction declined by 7 000 jobs during the quarter.
The trade and transport industries reported drops of 6 000 and 2 000 jobs, respectively.
On the other hand, the mining industry gained 2 000 full-time jobs. The electricity industry reported no change during the quarter.
Year-on-year, the number of full-time jobs declined by 55 000 from June 2024 to June 2025.
Part-time employment dropped by 36 000 jobs, decreasing from 1 132 000 in March 2025 to 1 096 000 in June 2025. This reduction was mainly due to the community services industry, which lost 39 000 jobs. The trade sector experienced a decline of 4 000 jobs, while the manufacturing industry saw a loss of 1 000 jobs. The transport and construction industries remained unchanged during this period.
The business services industry added 7 000 jobs, while the electricity industry saw an increase of 1 000 jobs.
Year-on-year, part-time employment declined by 174 000 jobs when compared to the corresponding quarter of 2024.
Gross earnings paid to employees saw a modest 0,2% increase in the second quarter of 2025, reaching R986,8 billion in June, up from R984,7 billion in March. The growth was largely attributable to the community services, trade, and construction industries. In contrast, the business services sector experienced a substantial decrease of R14,1 billion, which tempered the overall growth.
