Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has confirmed that South Africa's official unemployment rate increased by 0.9 of a percentage point to 33.6% for the second quarter, compared with 32.7% in the first quarter of this year.

Stats SA's Quarterly Labour Force Survey shows that the number of unemployed persons increased by 345 000 quarter-on-quarter to 8.5-million, while the number of employed persons decreased by 16 000 quarter-on-quarter to 16.7-million. This resulted in an increase of 329 000 in the labour force during the same period.

Discouraged job-seekers decreased by 227 000 quarter-on-quarter to 3.7-million, while other available job-seekers decreased by 49 000 quarter-onquarter to 861 000 and unavailable job-seekers decreased by 4 000 quarter-on-quarterto 44 000, resulting in a net decrease of 280 000 to 4.6-million in the potential labour force.

Those outside the labour force for other reasons increased by 72 000 quarter-on-quarter to 12.5-million.

Furthere, persons outside the labour force, which is the total of those in potential labour force and others outside the labour force, decreased by 208 000 to 17.1 million in the second quarter.

Stats SA points out that, in addition to the unemployment rate, other indicators of labour underutilisation were measured.

The combined rate of unemployment and time-related underemployment increased by 0.7 of a percentage point to 36.6%, while the combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force increased by 0.1 of a percentage point to 43.8%.

The composite measure of labour underutilisation, which combines time-related underemployment, unemployment and potential labour force as a proportion of extended labour force, remained unchanged at 46.3% in the second quarter.

These labour underutilisation measures highlight people in different situations with different degrees of attachment to the labour market, Stats SA states.