Final_QLFS_Unemployment_Status_by_Quarter_2019_ ...

This data file contains the unemployment status of South Africans, from Q1-2019 to Q1-2023.

Unemployed persons according to the Official definition are those (aged 15–64 years) who: 1. Were not employed in the reference week; and 2. Actively looked for work or tried to start a business in the four weeks preceding the survey interview; and 3. Were available for work, i.e. would have been able to start work or a business in the reference week; or 4. Had not actively looked for work in the past four weeks, but had a job or business to start at a definite date in the future and were available.

Unemployed persons according to the Expanded definition are those (aged 15–64 years) who: 1. Fall under official unemployment (searched and available); and 3. Were available to work but are/or: 1. Discouraged work-seekers 2. Have other reasons for not searching

Job losers are unemployed persons who had been working during the 5 years prior to becoming unemployed and they had lost their job; or they had been laid off; or the business in which they had previously worked had been sold or had closed down.

Job leavers are those among the unemployed who had been working during the 5 years prior to becoming unemployed and had stopped working at their last job for any of the following reasons: Caring for own children/relatives; pregnancy; other family/community responsibilities; going to school; changed residence; retired; or other reasons.

New entrants into unemployment are persons who were unemployed during the reference period that had never worked before.

Re-entrants to the labour force are unemployed persons who worked before, and whose main activity before looking for work was either managing a home or going to school.

NOTE: This data is available for provinces and metros only. Due to the coefficient of variation (CV) exceeding 30% for most metros in Q4 -2021, Statistics South Africa made the decision not to publish them.