Western Cape maintains lowest unemployment rate in SA

Joint Media Release: Western Cape maintains lowest unemployment rate in SA, with 82 000 more people employed year-on-year

According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), released by Statistics South Africa today, the Western Cape has maintained the lowest unemployment rate in South Africa (SA) at 21.4% in quarter one of 2024.

In addition to this, the province has enabled the creation of 82 000 jobs over the last year, between quarter one of 2023 and quarter one of 2024.

“The current official unemployment rate in the Western Cape now sits at 21.4%, the lowest in South Africa by a long way and 0.2% below what it was this time a year ago. While there is much more work to be done to get many more residents into jobs, we are making progress. And this is evident by the fact that there are 82 000, or 3.1%, more people in jobs in the Western Cape than there were a year ago,” said Premier Alan Winde.

The QLFS shows that the Western Cape continues to have:

• The lowest unemployment rate in SA, at 21.4%;
• The lowest expanded unemployment rate in SA, at 26.1%;
• The highest labour absorption rate in SA at 55.4%; and
• The highest Labour Force Participation Rate in SA, at 69.2%.

Premier Winde stated, “In all sectors of the Western Cap’s economy we are working hard to keep enabling the private sector to create more jobs. Through various initiatives, among them the Western Cape Government’s (WCG) Growth for Jobs strategy, SMME Booster Fund and the Alternative Energy Support Programme, we are enabling and empowering businesses to realise their full potential.”

“Our strategies combined with our proven track record of good governance means that if you live in the Western Cape, you are far more likely to have a job than in any other province. With the right policies and strategies, driven by the WCG’s economic action plan, ‘Growth For Jobs’ to boost the foundations for economic growth, we are determined to enable the private sector to do what they do best - create jobs,” said Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger.

“But national government failures continue to compromise economic growth and job creation across the country. We have seen decreases in employment in the agriculture, manufacturing and community and social services sector. These sectors are heavily impacted by the severe inefficiencies at the Port of Cape Town, compromising the growth of exports, plus inexcusable delays in processing visas, and the devastating impacts of load shedding, turning off the economy for more than a quarter of a century,” continued Minister Wenger.

“Yet, in the Western Cape, we have seen strong increases in the construction, finance, and private household sectors, indicating an encouraging level of confidence in the provincial economy. Through determined action, we will continue to support and buffer the private sector from the ravages of load shedding, the logistics crisis, and visa chaos,” Minister Wenger concluded.