The unemployment rate in South Africa stood at 27.1% for the fourth quarter of the year, up 0.4% from the same period last year, according to the results of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey by Statistics South Africa.

Compared to a year ago, the number of unemployed increased by 4.2% (259,000) to 6.21 million, while the number of persons who were not economically active remained steady (an increase of 9,000 persons). Of those, 2.8 million were considered “discouraged work-seekers.” This is defined as someone who is eligible for employment and able to work, but currently unemployed and has not attempted to find work.

Meanwhile, employment increased by 2.2% (358,000) to 16.5 million, when compared to the same period last year. The labour force participation rate for the fourth quarter was 59.4%, down from 58.8% the previous year.

In the fourth quarter, the informal sector recorded employment gains of 193,000 compared to the previous year while the formal sector recorded an increase of 102,000 in the same period.