SA’s unemployment rate rises to 32.9%, with 85,000 domestic worker and gardener jobs shed

South Africa’s unemployment rate rose to 32.9% in the first quarter of 2023 from 32.7% in the last quarter of 2022. One worrying trend is that 85,000 jobs were lost in private households, which would be domestic staff and gardeners. This suggests middle-class households are financially strained while others are emigrating.