Statistics South Africa data released on Tuesday, shows unemployment rate rose by half a percentage point to 27.6 percent, with 6.2 million people unemployed in the first quarter of 2019, the highest level being the third quarter of 2017.
The official data revealed job losses focused on the construction, finance and social sectors, underlining the challenge facing President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government. Unemployment crisis was a key battleground in the May 8 vote.
Of the 20.3 million South Africans aged between 15 and 34, 40.7 percent were not in employment, education or training.
In his campaign speeches, Ramaphosa, a former trade union leader, promised to boost sluggish economic growth and attract foreign investment to tackle unemployment.
Analysts have however, asked for policy shifts and confidence building initiatives to tackle the rise in unemployment figures.