The jobless rate in South Africa stood at 27.5% for the third quarter of the year, down 0.2% 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 decreased by 1,000 to 6.20 million, while the number of persons who were not economically active increased by 2.8% (424,000) with 297,000 of them 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 1.2% (188,000) to 16.4 million, when compared to the same period last year. The labour force participation rate for the third quarter was 59.5%, down from 59.9% last year.

In Q3, the informal sector recorded employment gains of 327,000 compared to the previous year while the formal sector recorded a decrease of 125,000 in the same period.