Johannesburg, Dec 1 (IANS): The Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the third quarter of 2021 showed that unemployment rate rose by 0.5 per cent point from 34.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2021 to 34.9 per cent, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has said.

This was the highest level of unemployment since 2008, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The number of people in work fell by 660,000 to 14.3 million in the third quarter of 2021," the Stats SA added on Tuesday. The unemployment rate under the expanded definition, which includes people who have given up looking for work, rose 2.2 per cent to 46.6 per cent over the same period.

The report showed that seven of eight industries in the formal sector experienced employment losses with the exception of finance where employment increased by 138,000.

The largest decrease in employment was recorded in the trade sector, followed by community and social services, construction and private households.

The leading trade union federation, Cosatu, said the report painted a bleak picture of unemployment in the country.

Sizwe Pamla, spokesperson for Cosatu, said that despite the easing of the harsh lockdown measures, there has not been much improvement in job creation.

"This is at the heart of the country's non-employment growth trajectory, which needs to be addressed by rebuilding the South African economy," Pamla added.