There are two reasons to be excited about two recent manufacturing reports. First, covering the results of a detailed 2021 survey, the reports provide provincial- and district-level data. Second, they offer detailed insight into the state of the manufacturing industry in South Africa in terms of employment, finances, and the quantities of manufactured products. The   read more »

MEDIA ADVISORY                                                          20 July 2023 Statistician-General to release the 2021 manufacturing report The Statistician-General of South Africa, Mr Risenga Maluleke, will release the manufacturing report at a virtual media briefing to be held on Monday, 24 July 2023. The manufacturing report measures expenditure, production, income and spread of the manufacturing sector in the country. The   read more »

Annual headline inflation cooled to 5,4% in June from 6,3% in May, sinking below the upper limit of the South African Reserve Bank’s monetary policy target range. The last time inflation was below 6% was in April 2022. The rate in June is the lowest reading in 20 months (since October 2021) when the rate was 5,0%. The   read more »

The month of July 2023 started on a high note for South Africans. First it was the decrease in the price of fuel on July 5th. Secondly, on the 10th of July, residents in some parts of the country woke up to the sheer wonder of the first snowfall in the city in more than   read more »

One of the important tasks of national government is to redistribute funds, mainly received from taxes, to other sectors of the economy. These transfers serve a financial lifeline to diverse groups which includes households, public corporations, local and international organisations, and other levels of government. Key areas of spending On the revenue side, national government   read more »

According to the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES, Q1:2023) survey released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), total employment in the formal non-agricultural sector decreased by 21 000 in the first quarter of 2023, bringing the level of employment to almost 10 million. The survey showed that 97 000 jobs were lost between March 2022 and March   read more »

Headline consumer inflation cooled for a second consecutive month in May to 6,3% from 6,8% in April. May’s reading is the lowest since April 2022 when the rate was 5,9%. The month-on-month change in the consumer price index (CPI) was 0,2% in May. The annual rate for food and non-alcoholic beverages (NAB) was 11,8%, lower than   read more »

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has become aware of a site that is fraudulently inviting applications for positions at the organisation. Stats SA uses two platforms for recruitment – the HR Database (https://apps.statssa.gov.za/HRRecruitment/) for short-term contract positions, and the e-Recruitment platform (https://apps.statssa.gov.za/erecruitment/#/browseJobs) for permanent positions. Please do not use any other platform to apply for   read more »

South Africa has been experiencing an outbreak of the cholera disease across various provinces since the beginning of 2023. Gauteng, Free State and Limpopo recorded cholera cases since 5 February 2023. Cholera is an acute diarrhoea infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae bacteria. World Health Organization (WHO)   read more »

After contracting by a revised 1,1% in the fourth quarter of 2022, real gross domestic product (GDP) edged higher in the first quarter of 2023 (January‒March), expanding by an estimated 0,4%.1 The manufacturing and finance industries were the major drivers of growth on the supply side of the economy. The demand side was lifted by   read more »