South African Unemployment Rate Stays Stable in 2Q

South Africa's unemployment rate was 27.7% in the second quarter, unchanged from the first quarter.

However, the country's statistics office said the number of jobs declined by 113,000 in the same period, reflecting drops in the construction and agriculture sectors, among others. The number of people employed in the trade, finance, manufacturing and utilities sectors increased slightly.

South Africa entered a technical recession in the first quarter.

Write to Gabriele Steinhauser at Gabriele.Steinhauser@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 07, 2017 03:55 ET (07:55 GMT)