Article
Only an increase in area farmed would notably induce employment in SA agriculture
Published: 14/05/2019
The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey data (Q1: 2019) show that South Africa’s primary agricultural employment fell by 1% from the corresponding period last year to 837 000 (Figure 1). The subsectors that faced a notable reduction were field crops, livestock and forestry, partly due to a reduction in area plantings on the back of unfavourable weather conditions in the case of field crops. From a regional perspective, the provinces that faced a notable decline were the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Free State, Limpopo and Mpumalanga (Figure 2). Meanwhile, other provinces saw a marginal uptick. While the first quarter agricultural employment data does not bring much excitement, it is by no means an underperformance if we compare it to the average five-year employment of 829 000.
The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey data (Q1: 2019) show that South Africa’s primary agricultural employment fell by 1% from the corresponding period last year to 837 000 (Figure 1). The subsectors that faced a notable reduction were field crops, livestock and forestry, partly due to a reduction in area plantings on the back of unfavourable weather conditions in the case of field crops. From a regional perspective, the provinces that faced a notable decline were the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Free State, Limpopo and Mpumalanga (Figure 2). Meanwhile, other provinces saw a marginal uptick. While the first quarter agricultural employment data does not bring much excitement, it is by no means an underperformance if we compare it to the average five-year employment of 829 000.