Analysis of different employment surveys, trends since 1994, the informal sector, methodology adjustments and implications for policy

Stats SA’s Deputy Director-General for Economic Statistics, Joe de Beer, traces the evolution of South Africa’s labour-force surveys since 1994 and explains recent methodological changes, including the 21st ICLS redefinition of the informal sector. He presented the latest picture, an official unemployment rate of 32.7% in Q1:2026 rising to 45.8% for youth aged 15 to 34 and set out what the revisions mean for data comparability and policy. Presented at the 2026 Public Economics Conference.