Key findings: P0277 - Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES), 1st Quarter 2020

Total employment decreased by 3 000 or 0,0% quarter-on-quarter, from 10 234 000 in December 2019 to 10 231 000 in March 2020. This was largely due to decreases in the following industries: trade (-17 000 or -0,7%), construction (-14 000 or -2,4%) and manufacturing (-2 000 or -0,2%). The electricity industry remained unchanged. However there were increases in the following industries: community services (17 000 or 0,6%); business services (8 000 or 0,3%), mining (3 000 or 0,7%) and transport (2 000 or 0,4%).


Total employment increased by 3 000 or 0,0% year-on-year between March 2019 and March 2020.


Full-time employment increased by 18 000 or 0,2% quarter-on-quarter, from 9 175 000 in December 2019 to 9 193 000 in March 2020. This was largely due to increases in the following industries: business services (16 000 or 0,8%); community services (5 000 or 0,2%); transport (3 000 or 0,6%); mining (3 000 or 0,7%) and manufacturing (1 000 or 0,1%). The electricity industry remained unchanged. However there were decreases in the following industries: construction (-9 000 or -1,8%) and trade (-1 000 or 0,0%).


Full-time employment decreased by 37 000 or -0,4% year-on-year between March 2019 and March 2020.


Part-time employment decreased by 21 000 or -2,0% quarter-on-quarter, from 1 059 000 in December 2019 to 1 038 000 in March 2020. This was largely due to decreases in the following industries: trade (-16 000 or -6,6%), business services (-8 000 or -3,3%), construction (-5 000 or -7,1%); manufacturing (-3 000 or -3,9%) and transport (-1 000 or -4,8%). The electricity industry remained unchanged. However, the community services industry reported a quarterly increase of 12 000 or 2,9%.


Part-time employment increased by 40 000 or 4,0% year-on-year between March 2019 and March 2020.


Total gross earnings paid to employees decreased by R46,7 billion or (-6,0%) from R777,0 billion in December 2019 to R730,3 billion in March 2020. This was largely due to decreases in the following industries: community services (R10,8 billion or -4,3%), manufacturing (R8,2 billion or -10,2%), trade (R8,2 billion or -7,3%), business services (R8,0 billion or -3,9%), transport (R5,5 billion or -12,2%), construction (R4,5 billion or -12,2%) and electricity (R1,6 billion or -16,5%). However the mining industry reported quarterly increase R22 million or 0,1%.


Year-on-year, total gross earnings increased by R30,3 billion or (4,3%).


Bonus and overtime paid to employees decreased by R42,4 billion (-40,9%) from R103,7 billion in December 2019 to R61,3 billion in March 2020. Year-on-year, bonus and overtime payments increased by R0,7 billion or (1,2%).


Average monthly earnings paid to employees in the formal non-agricultural sector decreased by -0,2% quarter-on-quarter and  increased by 5,4% year-on-year.