IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH DATA ECOSYSTEMS

Residents of the Western Cape have an additional period – until 14 May – to complete the Census questionnaire. The province is still lagging behind the rest of the country in terms of completeness of data collection. Nationally, 88% of households have been counted while the Western Cape is at the 60% mark. Stats SA   read more »

In April and May 2022 Stats SA is updating its seasonal adjustment models for monthly business cycle indicators, namely mining, manufacturing, electricity, building, wholesale, retail, motor, tourist accommodation, food & beverages, land transport, and civil cases for debt. What is seasonal adjustment, and why is it so important for measuring and analysing the economy? We   read more »

Municipal financial systems have been overhauled. Under the new Municipal Standard Chart of Accounts (mSCOA) framework, municipalities have changed the way in which they do their finances. As a result, Stats SA implemented changes to its Quarterly financial statistics of selected municipalities (QFSSM) survey. What is the QFSSM? Not only does Stats SA publish data   read more »

Real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 1,2%1 in the fourth quarter (October–December), taking the annual growth rate for 2021 to 4,9%. The fourth quarter was upbeat, with personal services, trade, manufacturing and agriculture the key drivers of growth. An increase in demand for goods and services drove up the expenditure side of the economy,   read more »

Headline inflation dipped to 5,7% in January from 5,9% in December, mainly the result of lower fuel prices. The consumer price index (CPI) increased by 0,2% between December and January, compared with a monthly rate of 0,6% in December. This CPI release is the first to be compiled using the recently updated weights and basket   read more »

Jobs in the formal non-agricultural sector increased by 52 000 in the third quarter of 2021, bringing the total number of persons employed in the formal non-agricultural sector in South Africa to approximately 9,62 million. According to the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES, Q3:2021) survey released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), year-on-year, formal sector jobs increased   read more »

Net profit before tax in the formal business sector tumbled by 33,4% in the financial year 2020 compared with 2019, with business services and manufacturing the hardest hit. The data, from Stats SA’s latest Annual financial statistics (AFS) survey1 , which mostly covers the period before the lockdown, show that total net profit before tax   read more »

Under the twin pressures of tighter COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and a spate of civil disorder in July, as well as several other headwinds, the South African economy contracted in the third quarter of 2021 (July–September). After recording four consecutive quarters of positive growth, real gross domestic product (GDP) slumped by 1,5%1, eroding some of the   read more »

For children, the ongoing COVID‑19 pandemic has significantly impacted the life they once knew. According to a recent report, the General Household Survey, 2020 which was released by Statistics South Africa, COVID-19 has had a distinct impact on the nature of child care arrangements for children aged 0–4 years in 2020. The percentage of children   read more »

Total South African government spending flirted with the R2 trillion mark in the 2019/20 financial year, according to data published by Stats SA. The data, recently published in the Financial statistics of consolidated general government statistical release, covers the period before the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a benchmark for when comparable pandemic-era data become available. The South   read more »