South Africa - Labor force, total

The value for Labor force, total in South Africa was 22,668,440 as of 2021. As the graph below shows, over the past 31 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 22,989,510 in 2019 and a minimum value of 12,953,670 in 1990.

Definition: Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.

Source: Derived using data from International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database and World Bank population estimates. Labor data retrieved in September 2019.

See also:

Year Value
1990 12,953,670
1991 13,346,100
1992 13,761,760
1993 14,191,560
1994 14,624,040
1995 15,050,230
1996 15,446,860
1997 15,829,320
1998 16,201,730
1999 16,568,900
2000 16,933,280
2001 17,261,790
2002 17,588,940
2003 17,914,450
2004 18,235,340
2005 18,550,440
2006 18,850,910
2007 19,146,440
2008 19,441,240
2009 19,114,540
2010 18,827,670
2011 19,095,440
2012 19,550,790
2013 20,110,080
2014 20,542,670
2015 21,379,120
2016 21,767,740
2017 22,360,600
2018 22,608,290
2019 22,989,510
2020 21,345,810
2021 22,668,440

Statistical Concept and Methodology: The labor force is the supply of labor available for producing goods and services in an economy. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave. Data are generated with World Bank population estimates and ILO estimates on labor force participation rate. The ILO estimates are harmonized to ensure comparability across countries and over time by accounting for differences in data source, scope of coverage, methodology, and other country-specific factors. The estimates are based mainly on nationally representative labor force surveys, with other sources (population censuses and nationally reported estimates) used only when no survey data are available.

Aggregation method: Sum

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections.

Classification

Topic: Labor & Social Protection Indicators

Sub-Topic: Labor force structure