News24 | Students face an uncertain future as SA's unemployment rate climbs to 32.9%

Students are worried about entering a job market in which people are losing jobs as the country's unemployment rises. (Boy_Anupong/Getty Images)

Following the release of the latest unemployment data on Wednesday, some fourth-year university students told News24 they were worried about entering a job market that is shedding jobs, especially because they selected their careers based on the prospect of employment opportunities.

According to the data provided by Stats SA, the unemployment rate notably increased in the first quarter, rising by 0.8 percentage points to 32.9%, from 32.1% in the fourth quarter of 2023.

In the first quarter of 2024, the number of unemployed people surged by 330 000, reaching 8.2 million, whereas a modest 22 000 found new employment.

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