introduction
the national economy
employment by industry
employment by occupation
Gauteng employment & unemployment
national unemployment
the skills challenge
improving education
decent work
decent work who?
decent work where?
the spatial economy
national unemployment

With an unemployment rate of 27%, Gauteng was better off than some provinces at the end of June 2010, but facing a more serious situation than provinces such as the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. These comparisons need to be treated with caution. For example, the much lower unemployment rate in KwaZulu-Natal is in part attributable to the lower rates of participation in the economy in this more rural province, not necessarily to the greater availability of jobs. In June 2010 the labour force participation rate in KwaZulu-Natal was a mere 46.3%, compared to 70.2% in Gauteng. Compounding Gauteng’s unemployment rate is the fact that the province, as the hub of the country’s economy, sees large numbers of people migrating in in search of work and business opportunities. That said, Gauteng has also seen its labour force participation rate decline during the recent economic recession. It dropped from 73.4% in the second quarter of 2008, to 70.2% in the second quarter of 2010.

unemployment rate by province

StatsSA (27 July 2010) ‘Quarterly Labour Force Survey, 2nd Quarter 2010’, accessed at http://www.statssa.gov.za/Publications/statsdownload.asp?PPN=P0211&SCH=4701

In the second quarter of 2009, Gauteng’s unemployment was at 23.1%, lower than South Africa’s at 23.6%.  By the second quarter of 2010 this situation had been reversed. Now Gauteng’s unemployment rate stood at 27.1%, 2% higher than South Africa’s. There are a number of possible explanations for this, including that Gauteng has been more seriously affected by the recent recession, and that the recession has caused an inflow of work-seekers who have lost jobs in other parts of the country.  
unemployment rates in Gauteng and South Africa

StatsSA (27 July 2010) ‘Quarterly Labour Force Survey, 2nd Quarter 2010’, accessed at http://www.statssa.gov.za/Publications/statsdownload.asp?PPN=P0211&SCH=4701