Against a background of dismal unemployment stats in the second quarter (see story posted today), the agricultural industry has a more positive story to tell.
Agri SA says the sector saw employment gains of 69 000 in the period under review, with provinces such as the Western Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, North West and Limpopo recording an increase.
The Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Gauteng and Mpumalanga, however, did not fare as well, recording decreases of 19 000, 9 000, 8 000 and 18 000 respectively.
“Most concerning,” says Agri SA, “is the sector continuing to see a decrease in skilled agriculture as it records a loss in employment from 62 000 in Q1:2021 to 45 000 in Q2. This is a 27.4% quarter-on-quarter decrease and a 33.2% year-on-year decrease."
Skilled agriculture is defined as people who have undergone training or education outside the work environment and who have a minimum level of secondary qualification.
